Essex drug poisoning deaths reach highest levels ever

The number of deaths related to drug poisoning in Essex has risen to the highest level since records began.

94 people died in the county last year, an increase of 5 from the previous high in 2016.

The majority of those deaths (23) happened in Colchester, a rise of 10 deaths in the town compared to 2018.

The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, define drug poisoning as having an undetermined intent.

Across England and Wales there were nearly 4,400 deaths from drug poisoning in 2019, which is also the highest level since records began in 1993.

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “We regret all drug related deaths and the harm and distress this causes families and individuals. As the commissioners of treatment services, we work hard to learn from all of these sad events to reduce harm and the services we commission are always working hard to engage those individuals with drug misuse needs in effective treatment.

“We would point out that the rates for Essex 2017-19 (5.9 per 100,000) have remained relatively stable. These rates are below the national figure (7.1 per 100,000) for these years and slightly below the regional figure (6.0 per 100,000) for these years.”