Sharp rise in drug deaths across West Midlands with isolation a factor
Deaths involving drugs are rising sharply in many areas of the West Midlands, new figures reveal.
The number of drug deaths in Wolverhampton saw a four-fold increase over 10 years, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics.
The figures show big increases in the number of deaths caused by drugs in most parts of the West Midlands, the exception being Telford, which saw a 42 per cent fall.
But while overall deaths from drug poisoning in the region rose by three quarters between 2010 and 2020, this masks wide disparities in how different areas of the West Midlands have been affected.
An addiction expert has said that the coronavirus lockdown could have led to more people turning to drugs.
Some of the highest percentage increases were in Staffordshire, although the numbers were relatively low to begin with. Lichfield, which saw just one drug death in 2010, experienced five fatalities last year, while the Stafford and South Staffordshire districts – which both had two deaths in 2010, saw the figure rise to nine each last year.
