The widespread use of cocaine in public toilets in Bradford city centre has been uncovered in an investigation by the Telegraph & Argus.

Traces of the drug were found in the toilets at three popular pubs and bars – and even in the baby changing room at Bradford Interchange.

The T&A used ten MMC Cocaine Trace Wipes, developed by an American company in co-operation with police and Customs authorities, to test premises for the drug.

The wipes are rubbed across surfaces and change colour from pink to blue if cocaine is present.

Out of ten city centre premises checked, four tested positive for cocaine.

It was detected on surfaces in toilet cubicles at the Revolution bar, City Vaults and The Queen. There was also a positive result from a flat surface in the baby changing room at Bradford Interchange.

Negative tests were made at toilets in the Ginger Goose, Lloyd’s Bar, McDonald’s, KFC, the Midland Hotel and the Great Victoria Hotel.

A spokesman for Metro, which runs the Interchange, said thousands of people used the station every day.

She said: “As an organisation, we have provided a separate facility for baby changing. It is disappointing that it is abused in this way.

“We rely very much on trust when it comes to our customers using our facilities.

“We have a key system, where a customer who wishes to use the baby changing facility can request a key from staff. It is then locked up again afterwards. But we have to trust the people who use the facilities.

“The area is covered by CCTV and we also liaise closely with the City Centre Beat partnership which has helped to cut down crime and anti-social behaviour at the Interchange.”

Bus station manager Sam Jackson said that, despite 30,000 people a day using it, crime at the Interchange was now practically non-existent.

He said: “Because of our dealings with the City Centre Beat and our connection with the police we tend to know those people who are going to abuse drugs and we are quickly on to them. But we can’t be everywhere and we have to have trust in our customers.”

Management at the City Vaults declined to comment on the findings of the investigation.

The T&A approached management at both The Queen and the Revolution bar for an official comment, but none were forthcoming.

Steve Baker, of City Centre Beat, said he was surprised at the number of positive tests and would advise members, many of which were licensed premises.

He said: “It is not something I have heard about, but now we are aware of it, we can do something to try to help the licensees. If we can find evidence of this we can try to stop it happening.

“We can work with these pubs to try to resolve the situation, and make customers aware we will be testing for drug use.”

Mr Baker said City Centre Beat would also make members aware of what was going on through its intranet system.

Dean Loynes, licensee of the Utopia nightclub and chairman of Bradford Inner City Licensing Association, said: “I don’t think there is a premises in Bradford that would not be aware that cocaine was widespread, and most premises will have signs up, warning that anyone abusing drugs will be barred and reported to police.

“It is endemic in society and has become the norm.

“We try to do our best to make sure people don’t take drugs blatantly, but licensees can’t do a lot more to prevent it.”

e-mail: steve.wright @telegraphandargus.co.uk