EAST Lancashire is to get an extra £94,000 a year to tackle drug addiction and stop drug-related deaths.

The cash for East Lancashire Health Authority is part of £12million funding nationwide for more treatment programmes, to prevent prescription drugs being mis-used by addicts and to reduce needle sharing.

It wwill also pay for drug education and prevention programmes for youngsters to stop the problem before it starts.

Health minister Gisela Stuart said: "There are up to 200,000 problem drug misusers in Britain and only half are in contact with treatment services.

"This money will be welcomed by frontline staff and carers in their drive to tackle the problems of drug misuse."

An extra £25million funding nationwide was also announced by Ms Stuart to train more counsellors, improve awareness amongst doctors and nurses and increase the number of addicts on treatment programmes.

The funding will also expand the methadone programme, in which addicts are given the heroin-substitute to take under supervision.