Scarborough has one of the highest drug-related death rates in England

The Transform Drug Policy Foundation has called deaths from illegal drug use an avoidable tragedy, and accused the Government of “decimating treatment funding”.

The Office for National Statistics provides local data on deaths related to drug poisoning for three-year periods, which is updated annually.

Scarborough saw 40 deaths between 2016 and 2018, at a rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people – among the highest in England.

The average death rate in England was 6.7 per 100,000.

The deaths relate to poisoning from a variety of illegal and legal drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

In Scarborough, 28 deaths were down to misuse, meaning they involved illegal drugs, or were as a result of drug abuse or dependence.

Across England and Wales, 4,359 deaths from drug poisoning were recorded in 2018 – two-thirds of these resulted from misuse.

It represents the highest total since comparable records began in 1993.

Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said the figures are “predictable and avoidable as they are tragic”, and has called for drug use to be treated as a public health issue. She said: “The case for a more compassionate harm reduction approach has now been clear for years.

“And yet the Government has continued to lead with tough rhetoric around law enforcement, all the while presiding over sustained cuts to local authority budgets, undermining their ability to deliver effective drug treatment services.”

Dr James Nicholls, chief executive of the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, said current drug policy has blocked measures known to save lives.

A Government spokesperson said drug misuse was at similar levels to a decade ago, but added: “We are absolutely committed to reducing it and the harms it causes.”

They said the Government has commissioned an independent review to look at issues including the system of support and enforcement around drug misuse.