Watch Winehouse video on The Sun site

Amy Winehouse may be charged with alleged drugs offences, after footage of the troubled star apparently smoking from a crack pipe was passed on to Scotland Yard, writes Adam Sherwin, media correspondent, and Lucy Bannerman.

The Metropolitan Police today confirmed its officers were investigating the 19-minute video of the Rehab star, in which she appears to light up a crack pipe, allegedly snorts powdered esctasy and cocaine and admits to taking "around six valium" at a party in her east London home.

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said: "We are in receipt of the videotape from a media outlet and it is currently being investigated."

The disturbing images, released by The Sun, prompted widespread concern among the singer's family and fans, who fear she is locked on a path to self-destruction.

After accompanying his daughter to a two-hour visit at a drugs clinic, her father Mitch Winehouse said last night that being caught taking class-A drugs on video "may well be the best thing that has ever happened to her."

He said: "It's nothing short of devastating - thinking she wants to destroy herself. She'll be heartbroken about it all.

"But for all the hurt and pain, it may finally be the thing to focus her mind and convince her to get the help she needs to quit for good.

The star looked freshly made up, once again sporting her trademark black beehive, when she was photographed yesterday leaving her flat with her dad.

The pair went on to visit Edward House, an outpatients department of the Capio Nightingale Hospital Nightingale clinic in north-west London, where Pete Doherty is also a regular, for a two-hour appointment.

Wearing a dark top and pencil skirt, she appeared to be in good spirits. The return of her old hairstyle will no doubt please fans after a brief unsuccessful experiment as a bottle-blonde.

Winehouse’s spokesman told reporters the appointment at the clinic was a regular weekly session which formed part of her continuing treatment for drug addiction.

The footage, taken by an unidentified party, was said to have been filmed during a party at Winehouse’s east London home in the early hours of last Friday, hours before she attended a court hearing for husband Blake Fielder-Civil. He is awaiting trial on charges of assault and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The images show Winehouse, 24, looking dishevelled in a grubby black vest, and left barely able to talk.

The singer will be hoping that the footage has not ruined her chances of conquering America, where her album Back to Black has sold 1.3 million copies.

Her record company, Island, part of Universal Music, is ready to abandon its American campaign to promote her. “It may be time to draw a line under it all and move on,” said Nick Gatfield, the label’s president.

She had been invited to perform at the Grammys, the US music industry’s most glamorous night, in Los Angeles next month. She is nominated for six awards, including Album of the Year.

Her well-publicised drug problems hampered her request for a visa. Winehouse, who cancelled her last US tour after an overdose, made a personal appeal for a visa after being convicted of cannabis possession in Norway. It is believed that the US authorities wanted evidence that she was drug-free before allowing her in.

Mr Gatfield described Winehouse as a hugely talented artist and said that she would be given time to deal with her problems. He said that she had America at her feet. “It’s a reflection of her status [in the US] that when you flick through the TV coverage [of the Grammys] it’s her image they use.”

However, he added that there would be “absolutely no pressure from the company” to force her back to work. Universal Music said that it was deeply upset and disappointed about the latest revelations but would give her its full support.

Winehouse is also due to appear at an awards ceremony in Cannes this Saturday alongside Kylie Minogue, Céline Dion and Rihanna. She pulled out of a number of UK concerts before Christmas.

Last night, Winehouse’s spokesperson insisted: “Amy has not been admitted into rehab. She has regular appointments with a doctor at the Nightingale Hospital and she will not be staying overnight. She is in good spirits and walking tall.”