Brighton 'has most drugs deaths'

Brighton and Hove has been named the worst place in Britain for drug-related deaths for the second year in a row.

A report released by the International Centre for Drug Policy shows 50 people died in the city last year as a result of drugs, compared to 44 in 2008.

The city has the highest proportion of deaths in the country, with 23.5 people out of every 100,000 aged over 16.

Director of public health for Brighton and Hove Tom Scanlon said the rise in deaths was very disappointing.

He said the high rates of death reflected the "relatively high number of drug users" in the city, but a number of new initiatives to try to tackle the problem were being piloted.

"These relatively high death rates are likely to remain with us as long as the city has a relatively high drug-using population and reinforce the importance of working with younger people to stop them developing a drug habit," Mr Scanlon added.