Wolverhampton sees drug-related deaths halve, figures show

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal said the council was working to make treatment and recovery services more widely available

More use of a treatment for drug overdoses and better therapy are some of the reasons a city's recorded drug deaths have halved, a council said.

The number of people dying due to a drugs overdose in Wolverhampton fell from 26 in 2020 to 12 in 2021, latest figures show.

A range of measures were brought in to tackle the issue, the authority said.

They included more use of naloxone, a treatment for opioid-related overdose and better support for ex-prisoners.

Agencies in the city have also been working more closely together and offering new therapies for people most at risk of a drug-related death.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal said they were also increasing the capacity of treatment and recovery services in the area.

"We know that being in treatment is the best way to prevent deaths from drug overdoses," she said.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]