The Government must “accept responsibility” for rising drug deaths, campaigners have said, as it emerged more people are now being killed by both legal and illegal substances than ever before.

A total of 3,744 people died of drug overdoses in 2016, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that showed opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and substances formally known as “legal highs” were causing increasing numbers of deaths.

About 70 per cent of the deaths were a result of “drug misuse”, with the highest rate coming in the 40 to 49 age category, and were predominantly accidental.

Experts accused the Government of ignoring its own advisers to continue to wage the “failed” war on drugs amid deepening deprivation in some of the UK’s worst-affected areas.

The Royal Society for Public Health, which carried out extensive research into drug policy last year, said the national drug death rate is now almost three times higher than the European average.

“While the UK Government stubbornly refuses to make meaningful moves towards a more progressive, public health-based approach to drug policy, and while local authority treatment budgets continue to be cut, it should come as no surprise that drug deaths in England and Wales are continuing to rise,” said Ed Morrow, the charity’s drugs policy lead.

Global commission call for legalisation of drugs

He said the number of opiate users dying, making up 54 per cent of the total, could not solely be put down to an ageing group of increasingly vulnerable heroin users.

“Deaths related to other substances, such as cocaine, are continuing to rise,” Mr Morrow added.

“This is a problem we will only ever be truly able to tackle within a decriminalised framework, and with an adequately funded drug treatment system.”

A report published in December by the Government’s own Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) found that “deepening of socio-economic deprivation since the financial crisis of 2008, changes to drug treatment and commissioning practices, and lack of access to mainstream mental and physical health services” was also driving deaths.

It said policy changes since the Coalition government came into power in 2010 had affected drug users, with the highest rate of deaths coming in areas of Britain that have also experienced the greatest reductions in funding for local authority services and benefits for working age adults.

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Warning that treatment services were not providing the needed doses of opioid-substitution treatment, the ACMD recommended the provision of overdose antidote naloxone and medically supervised drug consumption clinics for heroin users if other schemes were ineffective.

Its report said injecting facilities abroad had reduced crime and saved more money than they cost, due to the reductions in deaths and HIV infections.

Martin Powell, head of campaigns at the Transform Drugs Policy Foundation, said the Government had “actively gone against” the advice despite warnings over rising deaths from street heroin being mixed with more potent synthetic opiates.

Dealers are mixing heroin with the potentially deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is causing rocketing numbers of deaths (Getty)

“The Government must accept responsibility for the record number of people dying from overdoses for four years in a row,” he told The Independent.

“They’re a direct result of the Home Office’s policy on drugs.”

Mr Powell also highlighted the increasing deaths linked to new psychoactive substances, which were known as “legal highs” until a blanket ban was imposed by the Government last May.

“All that’s done is hand the market to criminals and what we’re seeing is that use among prisoners and vulnerable people like the homeless has gone up,” he added.

“Also they’ve got much stronger, the weaker variants are no longer on the market.”

Mr Powell, whose organisation argues for the legalisation of drugs under strict regulation in accordance with medical advice, said the Liberal Democrats and Green Party currently had “by far the best policies on protecting vulnerable” drug users, while neither the Tories nor Labour have taken a progressive stance.

“How many more poor and vulnerable people need to die before both the Tories and Labour follow the evidence, and protect our communities by legally regulating drugs to steer people towards safer products, while fully funding drug services for all who need them?” he asked.

Jeff Smith, vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Law Reform said the statistics “paint a complex picture of the dangers of newer drugs such as fentanyl, paired with the stubborn rise of the misuse of established drugs”.

Theresa May has been heavily criticised for her drugs policy both as Home Secretary and Prime Minister (AP)

“It’s clear that drug use is becoming less safe as a result of both strong new drugs entering the market and the increased toxicity of established drugs,” added the Labour MP for Manchester Withington.

“While these statistics will require in-depth analysis, I’m concerned that our drug policies clearly aren’t working, and this Government’s recent Drug Strategy doesn’t have the long-term vision to halt this worrying rise.”

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrats’ Shadow Health Secretary, said the new statistics highlighted the “abject failure of the Government’s drug strategy”.

“Lives are being lost but the Conservatives seem wedded to this hard-line approach,” he added.

“We have to accept the realities facing us and start taking action that works. Rather than locking up addicts we should be giving these individuals the help they need.”

Over half of all deaths involved an opiate, mainly heroin or morphine, followed by antidepressants, benzodiazepine, cocaine, paracetamol and amphetamine, while 69 per cent of the cases involved illegal drugs.

The highest mortality rate was in the north east of England, where there were 77.4 drugs deaths per 1 million people – an increase of 13 per cent from 2015.

In a joint article for The Independent, health professors Ian Hamilton and Harry Sumnall questioned whether the rise in drugs death since a Government policy change to focus on abstinence in 2010 could be considered a coincidence.

World's 10 deadliest street drugs Show all 10 1 /10 World's 10 deadliest street drugs World's 10 deadliest street drugs Whoonga Whoonga is a combination of antiretroviral drugs, used to treat HIV, and various cutting agents such as detergents and poisons. The drug is widely available in South Africa due to South Africa’s high rate of HIV sufferers, and is believed to be popular due to how cheap it is when compared to prescribed antiretrovirals. The drug is highly addictive and can cause major health issues such as internal bleeding, stomach ulcers and ultimately death Getty World's 10 deadliest street drugs Scopolamine Scopolamine is a derivative from the nightshade plant found in the Northern Indian region of South America (Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela). It is generally found in a refined powder form, but can also be found as a tea. The drug is more often used by criminals due its high toxicity level (one gram is believed to be able to kill up to 20 people) making it a strong poison. However, it is also believed that the drug is blown into the faces of unexpecting victims, later causing them to lose all sense of self-control and becoming incapable of forming memories during the time they are under the influence of the drug. This tactic has reportedly been used by gangs in Colombia where there have been reports of people using scopolamine as way to convince victims to rob their own homes World's 10 deadliest street drugs Heroin Founded in 1874 by C. R. Alder Wright, heroin is one of the world’s oldest drugs. Originally it was prescribed as a strong painkiller used to treat chronic pain and physical trauma. However in 1971 it was made illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Since then it has become one of the most destructive substances in the world, tearing apart communities and destroying families. The side effects of heroin include inflammation of the gums, cold sweats, a weak immune system, muscular weakness and insomnia. It can also damage blood vessels which can later cause gangrene if left untreated World's 10 deadliest street drugs Crack cocaine Crack cocaine first came about in the 1980’s when cocaine became a widespread commodity within the drug trafficking world. Originally cocaine would have attracted a high price tag due to its rarity and difficulty to produce, but once it became more widespread the price dropped significantly. This resulted in drug dealers forming their cocaine into rock like shapes by using baking soda as a way of distilling the powder down into rock form. People were doing this because it allowed for them to sell cocaine at a lower quantity and to a higher number of people. The side effects of crack cocaine include liver, kidney and lung damage, as well as permanent damage to blood vessels, which can often lead to heart attacks, strokes, and ultimately death World's 10 deadliest street drugs Crystal meth Not just famous because of a certain Walter H White, but also because it is one of the most destructive drugs in the world. First developed in 1887, it became widely used during the Second World War when both sides would give it to their troops to keep them awake. It is also believed that the Japanese gave it to their Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. After the war crystal meth was prescribed as a diet aid and remained legal until the 1970s. Since then it has fallen into the hands of Mexican gangs and has become a worldwide phenomenon, spreading throughout Europe and Asia. The effects of crystal meth are devastating. In the short-term users will become sleep depraved and anxious, and in the long-term it will cause their flesh to sink, as well as brain damage and damage of the blood vessels World's 10 deadliest street drugs AH-7921 AH-7921 is a synthetic opioid that was previously available to legally purchase online from vendors until it became a Class A in January 2015. The drug is believed to have 80% of the potency of morphine, and became known as the ‘legal heroin’. While there has only been one death related to AH-7921 in the UK, it is believed to be highly dangerous and capable of causing respiratory arrest and gangrene World's 10 deadliest street drugs Flakka Flakka is a stimulant with a similar chemical make-up to the amphetamine-like drug found in bath salts. While the drug was originally marketed as a legal high alternative to ecstasy, the effects are significantly different. The user will feel an elevated heart rate, enhanced emotions, and, if enough is digested, strong hallucinations. The drug can cause permanent psychological damage due to it affecting the mood regulating neurons that keep the mind’s serotonin and dopamine in check, as well as possibly causing heart failure World's 10 deadliest street drugs Bath salts Bath salts are a synthetic crystalline drug that is prevalent in the US. While they may sound harmless, they certainly aren’t the sort of salts you drop into a warm bath when having a relaxing night in, they are most similar to mephedrone, and have recently been featured throughout social media due to the ‘zombification’ of its. The name comes from the fact that the drug was originally sold online, and widely disguised as bath salts. The side effects include unusual psychiatric behaviour, psychosis, panic attacks and violent behaviour, as well as the possibility of a heart attack and an elevated body temperature World's 10 deadliest street drugs Purple Drank One of the more unusual drugs around at the moment, purple drank was popularised in 90s hip hop culture, with the likes of Jay Z and Big Moe all mentioning it in their songs. It is a concoction of soda water, sweets and cold medicine, and is drunk due to cold medicines high codeine content, which gives the user a woozy feeling. However it can also cause respiratory issues and heart failure World's 10 deadliest street drugs Krokodil Krokodil is Russia’s secret addiction. It is believed that over one million Russians are addicted to the drug. Users of krokodil are attracted to the drug due to its low price; it is sold at £20 a gram while heroin is sold for £60. However, krokodil is considered more dangerous than heroin because it is often homemade, with ingredients including painkillers, iodine, lighter fluid and industrial cleaning agents. This chemical make-up makes the drug highly dangerous and likely to cause gangrene, and eventually rotting of the flesh

“Whilst it has stated that it is up to local areas to determine how to respond to drug user’s needs, the reality is that without central Government support and funding, local authorities are unlikely to introduce potentially life-saving measures on their own,” they said.

“So with less people using drugs but more people dying than ever, there is an urgent need for action.

“The Government must act quickly – drug consumption rooms will save lives and that would be the right thing to do, even if it won’t win votes.”

Figures provided by Public Health England to helpline Addiction Helper show that the number of drug and alcohol addicts going into major full-time rehab has fallen by a quarter in the last five years.

Daniel Gerrard, the founder of Addiction Helper, said the figures showed the impact of “the Government’s poor decision to remove the protected drug and alcohol treatment budget back in 2012” and putting the burden on stretched councils.

The Local Government Association stressed that nine in 10 councils now provide take-home naloxone to heroin users and their families to tackle overdoses but said about 100,000 drug users were not seeking help.

Izzi Seccombe, chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, claimed the “biggest challenger” was ageing addicts prone to an accumulation of chronic physical and mental health conditions that make them more susceptible to fatal overdose.

“Councils are committed to ensuring drug users get the right support and treatment, and spend more on drug and alcohol treatment than in any other area of public health,” she added.

“This year alone, local authorities are budgeting to spend more than £700m on tackling substance misuse.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Any death related to misuse of drugs is a tragedy.

“While drug misuse is lower than ten years ago, we are absolutely committed to reducing it and the harm it causes.