Drugs deaths hit record levels in England and Wales thanks to spike in legal highs as 3,744 killed by substance poisoning last year

DRUG DEATHS have hit record levels in England and Wales - partly due to a spike in 'legal highs' and cocaine.

New official figures how that there were 3,744 drug poisoning deaths in 2016 - up 70 from the year before.

This is the highest number since records began in 1993 - and most of those affected were in their 40s.

The majority were drug misuse deaths, and half involved opiates like heroin or morphine.

But cocaine deaths have also shot up by 16 per cent, and its now the second most commonly used drug after cannabis.

Wales has seen a jump in drug-related deaths, but England's figures have generally stayed stable.

However, there was also a 13 per cent spike in drugs deaths in the North East of England - the highest levels in the country.

And the Office for National Statistics said there was a sharp increase in people dying after taking new psychoactive substances - known as 'legal highs' before being banned.

The numbers involving these substances has risen over the past five years - an 8 per cent increase since 2010.

There were 39 deaths last year by drugs that were NOT illegal, however.