...and England is now the cocaine capital of Europe

YOUNG men and women in England and Wales are the heaviest cocaine users in Europe, a major report on drug abuse across the continent said yesterday.

It found that 4 per cent of 16 to 34-year-olds in the two countries had taken cocaine in the previous 12 months, well above the EU-wide average of 1.9 per cent.

The findings were backed up in the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction report by tests taken in sewers in cities across Europe. They showed that waste water in London had the highest traces of cocaine.

The evidence that England is the cocaine capital of Europe comes at a time of deepening concern over the impact of middle-class drug consumption on levels of crime and violence surrounding drug-dealing gangs.

Growing numbers of stabbings and shootings in London and other cities have been linked to cocaine supply, and in particular to the ‘county lines’ system by which drugs are couriered to provincial town and cities.

The report from the EU drugs agency said: ‘Our analysis confirms that Europe’s cocaine market is buoyant, with indicators now pointing to increased availability of the drug in a number of countries.’