Inhaling laughing gas on duty can get you sacked!

London, May 21 : A paramedic has been fired for inhaling laughing gas in the ambulance for a quick high while on duty.

Richard Sanders was found inhaling Entonox while lying on a stretcher during a night shift.

The gas, also known as 'hippy crack' is generally given as a painkiller to women in childbirth or kidney stone victims.

When Sanders got up he was staggering and slurring his words, a disciplinary hearing was told and was incompetent to do 999 job at Llantwit Major, South Wales.

The council said it was acting "to protect the public" as Sanders, who did not attend the hearing, had put patient safety at risk, reports The Sun.

Entonox is sold illegally in clubs and pubs for 2 pounds for a balloon-full. It gives a rapid but short-lived high.

Experts have also warned that the gas can cause long-term damage to health.

ANI