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Bristol businesses have been criticised for using blue lighting to try to deter people from injecting drugs.

Since 2005, the UK Government has been advising businesses not to use blue lighting in public toilets to deter drug use due to the increased risks to the users and the lack of evidence as to its efficiency.

However, at least two businesses in Bristol still have this type of lighting - Asda in Bedminster and The Canteen in Stokes Croft.

Two drug organisations in the city have spoken out about the issue.

Martin Powell, of Bristol-based Transform Drug Policy Foundation, said: "Blue lights in toilets don't deter many people from injecting, but it does make it more dangerous because they can't see as clearly what they are doing.

"So we call on businesses to not use it.

"Instead they should encourage the council to introduce safer drug consumption rooms - clinics where people can inject under medical supervision - taking the problem off the streets and out of toilets.

"This would also save lives and money, while helping get people into treatment. I have seen how well they work in other countries."

(Image: Bristol Post)

Maggie Telfer, of the Bristol Drugs Project, said the lighting made it harder to see veins and therefore assumes that people won’t inject.

She added: "The reality is most likely people continue to inject but do more damage to their veins and increase the risk of developing skin and soft tissue infections.

"No one wants to be injecting in a toilet or any other public area but many people who inject drugs, including many who are homeless, simply don’t have an alternative."

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In a statement, the Canteen said: "We understand that there are huge drug problems in Bristol, and we face these problems on a daily basis in The Canteen.

"We installed the blue lighting at the end of August last year to primarily protect our team and customers.

"This coincided with the closure of the Bear Pit and a visible increase in people using our toilets to inject drugs."

The statement said that, since installing the blue lighting, they had seen a notable decrease in the number of incidents.

"We work closely with Bristol Drugs Project and the police, and all our team have had training with both Golden Key and Bristol Drugs Project on crisis response and ways of dealing with drug abuse," the statement added. "We will continue to do so into the future so we can always take the best steps forward, without compromising the safety of our team or our guests."

A spokesman for Asda said the safety of their customers and colleagues was their top priority.

He said: "We operate a zero tolerance policy for illegal substance abuse across our stores, and since we have installed these lights at our Bedminster store we have noticed a clear reduction in the amount of drug-related incidents.’’