How does your area fare in terms of heroin and crack cocaine use?

Bristol and Middlesbrough have the highest rates of crack cocaine and heroin use across England, official figures have revealed. 

Government data shows that in Bristol there are around 12.15 crack users for every 1,000 people aged between 15 and 64.

Middlesbrough has the highest rates of opiates, which can include heroin. Figures state there are 21.4 users for every 1,000 people.

Public Health England analysed statistics from all 153 local authorities for use of crack and opiates across the country to make the conclusion.

It also discovered a stark divide in rates of crack and opiate use between regions – with some areas having rates 10 times higher than others.

Government data shows that in Bristol there are around 12.15 crack users for every 1,000 people aged between 15 and 64 (pictured are the 10 authorities with the highest rates)

Gangs in cities are using so-called 'county lines' to find and establish new markets to sell the drug, with 'rocks' costing between £10 and £20

Gangs in cities are using so-called ‘county lines’ to find and establish new markets to sell the drug, with ‘rocks’ costing between £10 and £20

WHERE IN ENGLAND HAS THE HIGHEST RATES OF CRACK USE? 

Public Health England figures reveal how many users of crack cocaine there are per 1,000 people in each local authority across the country.

12.15 

11.97

11.17

11.09

10.91

10.83

10.69

10.34

10.01

9.77 

Bristol

Tower Hamlets

Hackney

Liverpool 

Blackpool

Manchester

Luton

Wolverhampton

Rochdale

Islington 

WHERE IN ENGLAND HAS THE LOWEST RATES OF CRACK USE? 

Public Health England figures reveal how many users of crack cocaine there are per 1,000 people in each local authority across the country.

1.60

2.11

2.15

2.19

2.22

2.30

2.32

2.36

2.37

2.43 

Wokingham

Hampshire

Devon

Somerset

York

Northumberland

Rutland

Cornwall & Scilly

Kingston

Suffolk 

For instance, there are just 2.36 opiate users for every 1,000 people in Rutland – a figure that is roughly nine times less than Middlesbrough.

And in the sleepy Berkshire town of Wokingham there are just 1.6 people who smoke or inhale crack cocaine for every 1,000 people – seven times less than Bristol. 

Ian Hamilton, a drug researcher at York University, warned that crack cocaine, which has the same effects as the powder, is soaring in popularity.

He told MailOnline: ‘Crack cocaine is making a comeback as several recent reports show use is increasing, there are many reasons for its increasing popularity. 

‘Home Office seizures show crack has become purer and cheaper, so this will make the drug more affordable for some people.’

Mr Hamilton warned in November that use of crack is on the rise again – despite a Government pledge in 2002 to tackle soaring rates.

He claimed that the price of the drug, which is a Class A and carries a potential life sentence for supplying it, has fallen 13 per cent over the last decade.

Mr Hamilton today warned that there ‘appears to be a more effective distribution network for crack cocaine across England.

Middlesbrough has the highest rates of opiates, which can include heroin. Figures state there are 21.4 users for every 1,000 people

Middlesbrough has the highest rates of opiates, which can include heroin. Figures state there are 21.4 users for every 1,000 people

Gangs in cities are using so-called ‘county lines’ to find and establish new markets to sell the drug, with ‘rocks’ costing between £10 and £20. 

He told MailOnline: ‘This could explain the high levels of crack use seen in Bristol.’

The Home Office previously reported that the number of seizures of crack in Britain are at their highest since 2008.

The PHE figures, collected between 2014 and 2015, show there are 182,828 users of crack cocaine across the entire country.

This has risen by almost 10 per cent in the space of five years – as there were 166,640 users recorded in England between 2010 and 2011. 

The PHE figures were updated today with a new report showing how many children are estimated to live with opiate users.

Liverpool John Moores University believe there are more than 140,000 youngsters who live with adults addicted to heroin and other opiates.

The majority of these, 27,094, are in the North West. In comparison, there are three times less in the North East, which has the fewest at 8,481.

WHERE IN ENGLAND HAS THE HIGHEST RATES OF OPIATE USE PER 1,000 PEOPLE? 

Public Health England figures reveal how many users of opiates there are per 1,000 people in each local authority across the country.

21.40

17.65

16.51

15.58

15.48

14.23

13.97

13.48

13.37

13.21 

Middlesbrough

Blackpool

Hull

Hartlepool

Stoke

Bolton

Liverpool

Bristol

Wirral

Stockton 

WHERE IN ENGLAND HAS THE LOWEST RATES OF OPIATE USE PER 1,000 PEOPLE?

Public Health England figures reveal how many users of opiates there are per 1,000 people in each local authority across the country.

2.36

2.74

2.99

3.28 

3.37

3.52

3.53

3.80

3.86

3.88 

Rutland

Wokingham

Bracknell

Surrey

Hampshire

Bexley

Merton

Wiltshire

City of London

Kingston 



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