Use of cocaine has doubled since 1998

London: Cocaine use is on the rise among the urban middle classes in Britain, the latest official figures show.

Trends uncovered by the British Crime Survey indicate the numbers using the drug since 1998 have doubled. Among young people use of cocaine has shot up since Labour took office, from 1.4 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds reporting that they used the drug in the past 12 months to nearly six per cent.

At the same time, however, overall drug use appears to have declined or remained stable. It is estimated that some two million people used illegal drugs in the past month.