Illegal drugs will once again be tested at Cumbria's biggest music festival to keep revellers safe.

Festival-goers will be able to take their drugs to a free testing service at Kendal Calling when it returns to Lowther Deer Park in August.

It's the second year the initiative known as MAST - set up in conjunction with drugs testing organisation The Loop - has been brought to the festival in order to reduce the dangers surrounding drugs.

Ben Robinson, Kendal Calling director, said: "We have extensive security measures and controls in place to prevent drugs getting on site including detection dogs, robust searches at all gates, amnesty bin with information and Police intelligence.

"However we acknowledge that, despite everything we’re doing to prevent it, illegal substances are likely to be consumed on the festival site. The Loop are here to protect our festival goers and help them make informed choices.”

Festival-goers can take their drugs to a testing tent run by The Loop and find out exactly what they contained, helping them to make an informed decision about whether to consume them or not.

Organisers say the facility allows them to put out public warnings of any dangerous substances and look for trends.

Some of Britain's biggest festivals, including Reading and Leeds, are also poised to introduce the scheme for the first time this summer.

Last year, 17-year-old Lewis Haunch died after taking drugs at Leeds Festival while in the same year two teenagers died at T In The Park in reportedly drug-related incidents.

Christian Pay, 18, died after taking a controlled substance at Kendal Calling in 2015.

Last year organisers of the Cumbrian festival, which attracted 23,000, worked with police to avoid drug-related issues. They teamed up with The Loop, carried out proactive drug searches throughout the festival and deployed sniffer dogs.

Eleven arrests were made for suspicion of possession with intention to supply Class A drugs, and two for suspicion of possession with intent to supply psychoactive substances. Additionally, 41 people were dealt with for personal drugs offences - 29 for Class A drugs, 11 for Class B and 1 for Class C.

Cumbria Constabulary work with organisers to prevent controlled substances entering the site and to prosecute tgose intent on supplying.

The force also supports the MAST initiative.

Superintendent Justin Bibby said: “It is unreasonable to assume that we will be able to prevent all substances from getting on to the site, and therefore the front-of-house testing adds an extra layer of safeguarding and minimises the risk to those intent on using.

"I was very impressed with the professionalism of the system at last year’s event, and look forward to working with The Loop once again.”

The Loop also attended Secret Garden Party in Cambridgeshire last year when around 200 people had their illegal drugs tested.

In total 18 percent of those at both Kendal Calling and Secret Garden Party asked testers to disposed of drugs in their possession when they discovered what they contained.

Founder of The Loop Fiona Measham, professor of Criminology at Durham University, who has been conducting research at Kendal Calling since 2010, said the initiative's expansion was "radical".

She said: "It's really exciting that police are prioritising health and safety over criminal justice at festivals."