Rainbow Serpent festival marred by overdoses and arrests

A music festival near Ballarat has again been marred by drug overdoses and arrests.

Paramedics have taken 13 people to hospital from the Rainbow Serpent Festival at Lexton, six of them from suspected drug overdoses.

Two of the people are in critical conditions.

More than 20 people have been arrested for drug related offences at the festival.

Among them, an alleged drug trafficker who is aged only 17.

As the festival draws to a close today, police are vowing to have a highly visible presence on the roads in the region, conducting drug tests.