Jon Royle, the chief executive of the Bridge project, the biggest charity in Bradford helping drugs addicts recover, described the findings a “wake up call”.

“Almost every city, town and community in the country is affected by drugs and addiction and it is particularly prevalent in areas of social and economic deprivation,” he said. “Bradford is no exception and Bridge has been around for almost 30 years helping people to quit drugs, turn their backs on crime and addiction and transform their lives.

“The good news is that all the evidence shows drug use in general is falling and use of the most dangerous drugs, heroin and crack, is down by more than ten per cent from its peak.

“More and more people each year are being discharged from treatment drug free and we have a growing ‘recovery community’ in Bradford of former users who support each other and are contributing to society in a positive way.

“This report is a wake up call and we need to start communicating some of the positive messages about falling levels of drug use and the growth in recovery, as well as acknowledging drugs continue to be a problem within our communities and police, health services and the public must work together to tackle the causes and consequences.”