Bradford MP Terry Rooney today branded the city "the heroin capital of the country" and called on police chiefs to "go public" about the drugs crisis which he claims is spiralling out of control.

The Bradford North Labour MP claims the city offers the cheapest hit in Britain for addicts.

His controversial remarks came as former West Yorkshire Chief Constable Keith Hellawell launched a 10-year action plan to tackle drugs.

It includes a drug education programme in first schools, mandatory drug-testing for burglars, US-style drugs courts and segregation for addicts in prisons.

Mr Rooney said today: "Bradford is the heroin capital of the country and the fact that it is cheap and readily available means the problem is only going to get worse.

"I have spoken to representatives from Customs and Excise, drugs services and police in Bradford and they are all well aware of the problem. In terms of the police, they just won't admit it publicly.

"Heroin addiction is becoming an increasing problem among the young and Class A drugs are now being found in Bradford's schools - something which would have been unthinkable five years ago."

Mr Rooney also claims there is evidence to suggest that a wholesale drugs operation is working out of the city.

He added: "We need to make sure children are taught about the dangers of drugs at an early age. If you speak to pupils in Bradford almost every child will be able to tell you what types of drugs are available, where to get them and how much they cost."

Geoff Hinds, co-ordinator of the Bradford-based Bridge Project, said Mr Rooney's comments were needed to provoke a serious debate on the city's drugs problem.

He said £2 wraps of heroin were available in the city but the average youngster was likely to spend £10 a time. Heroin costs £50 a gram in Bradford making it one of the cheapest cities in the country.

The Bridge Project, based at Salem Street, sees around 400 addicts a week. Roughly three quarters of that number are under the age of 24 and around 95 per cent are hooked on heroin.

But Bruce Berry, headteacher at Belle Vue Boys School, said: "We are working very closely with the police to point out the dangers of drugs and the pupils know that kind of thing will not be tolerated.

"I would like to know how many schools Mr Rooney has visited and how many teachers and pupils he has spoken to - I have certainly never seen him, or any other Bradford MP, at this school," he said.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "There is no evidence or intelligence to suggest that the problems associated with heroin in Bradford are worse than anywhere else in the country.

"Our own intelligence suggests the price of heroin in Bradford does not differ wildly from anywhere else in the country. It should also be noted that as the link between acquisitive crime and drugs becomes clear burglary across all Bradford divisions has been reducing as we target the offenders.

"The results of police operations targeted at drug offending shows that we are successful in our fight against drug abuse."

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