The mother of a heroin addict has met health officials to voice concerns over drug users sharing hostels with people trying to quit.

Kate Mayne, who has spent three years trying to help Hannah, 19, quit her heroin habit held discussions with Maggie Gairdner, the recently appointed associate director of substance misuse services in Brighton and Hove.

In a series of articles in The Argus, Mrs Mayne outlined her frustrations with a system she accused of being too rigid.

She said: "I found it a very constructive meeting because she is new to the job and I felt she came in with a fresh perspective.

"I put the issue of housing those undergoing methadone treatment among heroin users to her. She was unaware that this was what happened and was interested in my viewpoint and felt it was something which needed to be looked at."

Ms Gairdner explained the cycle of behaviour of an addict to Mrs Mayne, who said she now better understands the system but continues to have reservations.

She said: "An expectation of failure is built into the model of an addict's behaviour which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"This is an accepted model but at what point do you say failure is an addict's fault or a problem of the system? We had a very interesting discussion and she was very willing to listen.

"My belief was that even though the addict wanted to access the help and succeed, there was a point at which the system was too difficult. I don't have the answer and neither did she."

Hannah is battling to stay on course with her methadone treatment, often finding that her daily dose is not enough to prevent sickness, leading her to "top-up" with heroin and develop a dual-addiction.

A spokesman for Sussex Partnership NHS Trust's substance misuse service said: "We had a most positive and helpful discussion with Mrs Mayne and indeed we offer the same opportunity to anyone who uses our services or who is in a caring role.

"We continue to offer a range of options to this family but do not consider it right to discuss details of individual cases through the media.

"We know that a decision to break an addiction is never an easy one, and that the road to recovery is often rocky and full of challenges. We continue to support everyone who makes this choice."

The possibility of Mrs Mayne taking on an advisory role for the substance misuse service has been mooted.