Town centre drug users ‘like the walking dead’

A COUNCILLOR has said the drug taking in Merthyr Tydfil town centre is “like seeing the walking dead”.

Councillor Lee Davies made the comment during an update on substance misuse in the county borough at the recent regeneration and public protection scrutiny committee.

Councillors heard that Merthyr is the second out of all councils in Wales behind Ceredigion for the prevalence of alcohol and fifth for the prevalence of drugs.

It was above the Welsh average between 2009 and 2016 for alcoholrelated deaths.

Drug deaths in Merthyr have gone up by 56% between 2009 and 2018.

In 2018, there were 208 drug deaths in Wales with 29 of these in the Cwm Taf area and six in Merthyr Tydfil.

For the number of people sent to hospital for drug abuse, Merthyr was ranked sixth in Wales last year and for alcohol abuse hospitalisations it was ranked first.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s substance misuse service saw 2,500 referrals in 2018-19 of which 700 were from Merthyr. Of these cases, alcohol accounted for 58% and heroin and cannabis for 10% each.

There has also been a rise in the number of cocaine deaths in the region.

Councillor Lee Davies raised the issue of drug taking in the town centre and described it as “frightening”, adding it’s not just young people but middle-aged men and women also.

He said: “Old ladies tell me that they don’t go into the town centre for that reason. It’s like seeing the walking dead all around Penderyn Square.”

Paul Lewis, head of protection and safety services at the council, said the use of spice is far more visible than the use of other drugs like heroin.

Councillor Malcolm Colbran asked if spice was a problem in the area.

The representative from Cwm Taf said psychoactive substances are a challenge and are a priority for them.

The committee agreed to analyse the figures in more detail.