Drug test tents will be present at up to 10 UK festivals this year, including the Reading and Leeds festival – and they have the backing of three police forces.

Festival-goers will be able to have samples of drugs tested to find out what they contain. The analysis will be carried out by an organization called The Loop.

It is hoped that the controversial move will save lives following a number of drug-related deaths in previous years. Seventeen-year-old Lewis Haunch died after taking drugs at the Leeds Festival last year,and two teenagers passed away at the T In The Park Festival in reported drug related incidents.

The Mail reports that senior police officers have backed the scheme. It is viewed as a pragmatic way of dealing with drug taking at festivals.

Critics of the scheme have hit back. David Raynes of the National Drug Prevention Alliance, said: "I do not think senior police officers have thought this through with the clarity that the public deserve.

"This will simply normalise drug taking amongst the young and will reinforce the attitude that taking drugs is an integral part of the festival experience, which it is not.

"Another problem is that drug testing services offer an illusion of safety. They tell drug users about purity, but purity is not a measure of safety, quite the opposite in some cases. Drugs are illegal because they are unsafe and that is the message that the police ought to be giving.

"This also offers a helping hand to drug dealers by providing them with a testing service. They can get their supply checked before they go off and start pushing. That is something the police ought to be preventing not supporting."

Assistant Chief Constable, Andy Battle, of the West Yorkshire force, who is in charge of policing at the Leeds Festival, defended the scheme while stressing that dealers would still be targeted.

He said: "We can never condone the use of illegal drugs, but we recognise that some people will continue to take them and we need to adapt our approach in the interests of public safety.

"Consuming controlled drugs is inherently dangerous and the tragic consequences of this have been illustrated with drugs-related deaths at the event in recent years.

"We will continue to work closely with the on-site security team to target the possession and supply of controlled drugs and the criminal law will be applied appropriately as necessary."