The dangerous drug – also known as methamphetamine, or ice – can cause a range of health problems including "meth mouth" where a user's teeth drop out leaving rotten stumps behind.

The warning from city detectives comes after Philip Ackroyd (47), of Towler Street, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to producing methamphetamine – the first case of its kind in the county.

Today, Detective Chief Inspector Gary Ridgway said: "It's a very, very unpleasant drug. We want to educate drug users in Cambridgeshire there's no point at all in getting involved with methamphetamine.

"It's very dangerous to your health. Just think of the risks to yourself and your family."

Police are on red alert for any reports of the drug in Peterborough and are also checking that dealers are not trying to get addicts of other drugs hooked by mixing it with ecstasy, or substituting it for crack cocaine, after incidents elsewhere in the UK.

DCI Ridgway said: "It might be the case that dealers are trying to encourage younger people who use ecstasy to get them hooked on methamphetamine. The ecstasy market has been decreasing over the last few years, and there has been some effort by dealers to regenerate that, which is concerning.

"It is also comparable to crack cocaine in appearance. Some users may inadvertently buy it, which is why we need to educate people."

The drug has been popular in Canada and the US since the 1960s when biker gangs began using it. But the drug has devastated communities.

The stimulant is said to be highly addictive and causes paranoia and psychological problems.

Now the drug has started to appear in the UK with police forces uncovering about 30 labs so far. But the discovery of hazardous chemicals at Ackroyd's former home in Herlington, Orton Malborne, was the first of its kind in Cambridgeshire.

DCI Ridgway said: "It changes people's behaviour and gives a propensity to be violent, paranoid and psychotic.

The effect really shouldn't be underestimated. It's a synthetic drug and the acids are extremely damaging to the body. It causes a lot of damage and massive skin problems.

"The acids destroy people's teeth really quickly so users are just left with rotten stumps. We haven't seen that in the UK yet, but we are starting to see some effects on a national basis. The drug makes the skin feel continually itchy, so addicts end up with huge unsightly wounds on their body.

"We don't see a huge problem with methamphetamine in the county, but it is gradually becoming more noticeable.

"Even one methamphetamine lab is one too many. This isn't about trying to create undue public concern, it's a realistic threat for the UK."