Town second cheapest for heroin

The price of heroin in Torquay has halved, the survey revealed

A Devon town is the second cheapest place in the UK to buy heroin, a survey for Druglink magazine says.

The charity Drugscope, which publishes the magazine, found that the price of heroin was cheapest in Sheffield, followed by Torquay.

The survey found that ecstasy had tumbled from £5 or £6 a pill to £1, and that the price of cannabis resin had also halved in some part of the town.

DrugScope said it hoped the survey would help direct anti-drugs resources.

Bucked trend

The survey also revealed that the average price of cocaine had fallen in the town, but added that not all drugs had seen a drop in prices.

Harry Shapiro, editor of Druglink, said: "In Torquay, the prices of ecstasy and heroin have dropped dramatically.

"But other drugs such as speed have bucked recent trends in street drug prices to become more expensive."

DrugScope is the UK's leading independent centre of expertise on drugs. Its aim is to inform policy development and reduce drug-related risk.

It said that the survey was more than a "where to buy cheaply guide" in the UK.

A spokeswoman said: "The survey aims to give a snapshot of current prices, helping police and drugs workers to respond quickly to emerging trends in their areas."

Devon and Cornwall Police said the force had carried out a number of operations in the town to try and reduce the supply of drugs.

Crime figures for the Torbay district showed a decrease in drugs offences, from 679 recorded offences between 2003 and 2004, to 576 between 2003 and 2005 - a decrease of 15%.

The survey looked at the street prices of drugs across 15 UK cities in 2005.