The Crown Prosecution Service and the Chief of the Metropolitan police were locked in a row today after Sir Ian Blair called for the prosecution of celebrity drug users.

Sir Ian Blair said celebrities caught taking drugs on film should be brought to court. The CPS countered that Britain’s top copper "totally" misunderstood the law.

Proof

Sighting the Kate Moss 'cocaine' episode, Sir Ian supported an investigation due to the impact on impressionable young people. Police were unable to prove that the material she snorted was an illegal drug.

In today’s call he said:

"I think it's reasonable for a jury to be able to say, beyond reasonable doubt, 'I can see that behaviour, you convince me that you're taking talcum powder, because that's an unusual way to take it.'

CPS

The Director of Public Prosecutions saw things very differently and accused Sir Ian of misunderstanding the law. Sir Ken MacDonald QC. said:

"Any suggestion that the CPS does not prosecute celebrities is completely untrue. We will prosecute when the police provide us with sufficient evidence to do so."

Kate Moss was filmed snorting what was reputed to cocaine in 2005, former boyfriend Pete Doherty has been filmed injecting himself, apparently with heroin and Amy Winehouse was caught on camera smoking what was suspected to be crack cocaine.