ONE of the biggest surveys of drug services ever undertaken in the UK shows the system to get people off drugs is failing them - with dramatic consequences.

The Big Issue magazine surveyed 560 'hard' drug users, 120 GPs and 34 specialist drug service providers from around Manchester and Liverpool and found that 44 per cent of people on prescribed methadone were still using heroin on a daily basis.

A third of drug users had been in contact with services for more than five years and 12 per cent for more than 10.

The report indicates that crime continues to be committed, health issues are not being solved and that the public purse is paying out millions of pounds for a system that is in serious need of review.

Anne McNamara, chair of the Big Issue in the North Trust, said: "People may ask us why we wanted to do this research.

"We try to help our vendors move away from the streets into homes, good health and a job.

"One of the most difficult services to access are drug services - we decided to commission this report to find out exactly what was going on."

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