The number of drug-related deaths in Blackburn dropped last year despite figures across England and Wales hitting an all-time high.

Increases were reported in Burnley and the rest of Lancashire according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The data showed there were 15 drug-related deaths registered in Blackburn with Darwen in 2023, down from 17 in 2022.

The figures cover deaths related to poisonings and drug misuse, from both controlled and non-controlled drugs.

In Burnley, there were 17 drug-related deaths in 2023, up from 12 in 2022, while in the rest of the county there was an increase from 123 to 153 in the same period.

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Across England and Wales, there was an 11 per cent rise on the year before, with 5,448 drug-related deaths registered last year.

Registered drug deaths nationwide have risen every year since 2012.

The UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKATG) said the figures were a “travesty” and warned the country is on the edge of a drug abuse crisis.

The ONS said, due to delays, more than half of the deaths reported in their latest data for 2023 happened in previous years.

Lee Fernandes, drug treatment expert at the UKATG, urged the government to “take their heads out of the sand and recognise that we’re on a cliff edge.

He also highlighted the need to acknowledge the “clear north-south divide.”

He said: “When it comes to drug deaths, people’s lives should not be dependent on a postcode lottery.”

Clare Taylor, chief operating officer at drug treatment provider Turning Point, said synthetic opioids – which are lab-produced and are hundreds of times stronger than heroin – are “increasingly being detected in the drug supply which is particularly concerning and putting many more people at risk of accidental overdose.”

There were 52 deaths registered involving nitazenes – synthetic opioids – in 2023 countrywide, up from 38 the previous year.

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The ONS said around half of the deaths last year involved an opiate, such as heroin or morphine, while cocaine deaths have doubled since 2011 and accounted for a fifth of deaths in 2023.

Minister for public health and prevention Andrew Gwynne said: “Drug-related deaths are tragically at record highs.

“Through our mission-driven government, we will work with partners across health, policing, and wider public services to drive down drug use and build a fairer Britain for all.”