ALMOST two dozen drug-related deaths were registered in Dudley last year, new figures show.

It comes as the total number of deaths caused by drugs across England and Wales hit an all-time high.

The UK Addiction Treatment Group said the figures were a "travesty", and warned the country is on the edge of a drug abuse crisis.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 20 drug-related deaths registered in Dudley in 2023 – up from 13 in 2022.

In the West Midlands there were 295 drug-related deaths in 2023 – up from 207 in 2022, and more than in any single year since 1993, when records began.

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

Across the two nations, 5,448 deaths were registered in 2023 – an 11 per cent rise on the year before, and the highest figure since records began in 1993.

Registered drug deaths nationwide have now risen every year since 2012.

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

Greg Ceely, head of population health monitoring at the ONS, said: "Around half of the deaths involve an opiate, such as heroin or morphine. We saw a large rise in the number of cocaine deaths, which account for a fifth of all deaths related to drug poisoning in 2023."

The figures show the North East had the highest rate of drug deaths in 2021-23, with 15.7 per 100,000 of the population. London had the lowest rate at 5.5 per 100,000.

In the West Midlands it was 7.8 per 100,000.

Lee Fernandes, drug treatment expert at the UKATG, called the rise "a travesty".

He urged the Government "to take their heads out of the sand and recognise that we're on a cliff edge".

Mr Fernandes also highlighted the need to acknowledge the "clear North-South divide".

"When it comes to drug deaths, people's lives should not be dependent on a postcode lottery," he added.

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 opiods – in 2023, up from 38 the previous year.

She called for better availability of services where drugs can be checked for purity and contaminants and for greater provision of the opioid overdose reversal drug, Naloxone.

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

Ms Taylor said the rise in cocaine-related deaths is "alarming", adding "it's vital that services provide advice and support for individuals".

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."