Tan jab Melanotan can be bought for just £27, despite Government health warnings that the side effects could be "extremely serious".

An Echo reporter was easily able to obtain a bottle of the unlicensed tanning hormone – plus a bag of needles and crude instructions.

Doctors have warned that people looking for a quick tan by following the Melanotan craze may be putting themselves at risk by injecting the hormone, which works by tricking the skin into producing melanin.

Consultant dermatologist Dr Keith Freeman, based at the Bunny Hill Centre, today said he was stunned by what our reporter was able to buy.

He said: "Anyone using Melanotan should stop immediately.

"This drug has not been tested properly and no one knows the side effects. It could be OK now, but the problems could come to the surface in a couple of years.

"To advocate that people use a sunbed to help the drug work is just unbelievable.

"To even consider injecting yourself with no medical training is foolhardy in the extreme. What happens if someone hits a vein or an artery?

"This also shows the perils of buying drugs off the Internet. How can you be even certain what is in the vial? There is no comeback on this and no proof it even is what it says it is.

He added: "I would never let any of my family do this and suggest that no one else follow suit.

"The Government guidelines clearly state that this is dangerous and I fully agree."

The tanning jab comes in two forms, Melanotan I and Melanotan II, neither of which has been fully tested.

Although it is illegal to supply or advertise in the UK, we were able to buy Melanotan with just one phone call and the man agreed to deliver the DIY kit to our reporter.

"It's how you would look after a fortnight's holiday and lasts up to three months," the seller told our reporter. "It's an easy way to get a tan."

He added: "There are a lot conmen out there, who charge around £15 and it's just water, but the purity of this is 95 per cent.

"It's 1,000 times stronger than the melanin in your body. It's been genetically modified, but it's a very small dosage.

"It's in the third stages of clinical trials, a lot of people don't know about it."

The Echo was sold 10mg of the hormone, and told it was imported from Shanghai.

We were told how the drug is administered through the stomach, and it was explained that it could cause sickness and facial flushing during the first few days of use.

Health experts have warned anyone using the drug to stop immediately.

A spokesman for NHS South of Tyne and Wear, said: "The possible side effects of the treatment are currently unknown as it has not been tested for safety, quality or effectiveness."

"The illegal supply of Melanotan also raises concerns that people are accessing and using needles to inject themselves without the guidance of a health professional, and putting themselves at risk of infections such as hepatitis and HIV."