'Cocaine' traces found on campus

Student paper Exepose took swabs and found positive tests across the campus, including the library and administration building.

The newspaper's editor said he was shocked by the results.

The university said there was "nothing to suggest to either us, the Students' Guild or the police that use of cocaine is widespread amongst students".

"The university considers that there is not a problem with cocaine use, but if you look underneath the surface it is quite widespread"
John Stevens

The student newspaper used swabs from Manchester-based Crackdown Testing to conduct tests in toilets at 30 premises.

The swabs, used by Devon and Cornwall Police and other forces for field identification of drugs, turn blue when small traces of cocaine are found.

Evidence of cocaine was found in the toilets of 11 premises including Northcote House, the administrative centre of the university.

Tests on toilet seats and cisterns were also positive at the Lemmy music venue and student bar the Ram.

Newspaper editor John Stevens, 20, said: "The university considers that there is not a problem with cocaine use, but if you look underneath the surface it is quite widespread.

"We thought we would find it in some of the social centres, but to find it at Northcote House was a complete surprise.

"It appears to be happening more than we thought."

'Not scientific'

A spokesman for the university said: "The university is a big place (14,500 students and nearly 3,000 staff) so we would be naive to think that some drug use doesn't go on.

"However, there is nothing to suggest to either us, the Students' Guild or the police that use of hard drugs like cocaine is widespread amongst students.

"The most common offence is use of cannabis, for which people are usually fined."

He said action would be taken against students caught using drugs and staff had been asked to be vigilant.

Drug 'indication'

Paul Adams, the university's health and safety advisor and a chemistry graduate, said he would be asking for the results.

He said: "I think the tests they have taken are not that scientific."

He said there was a risk of contamination and the tests should have been supported with testing by another group.

"We have no evidence of widespread cocaine use at the university," he said.

"I would doubt the validity of the analysis."

Dave Rigg, of Crackdown Testing, said: "It's accurate as a field test, but I would not go to court with it.

"It is there to provide an indication of cocaine and for that it is 100% foolproof."

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