Latest ideas for tackling drug problems were discussed at a key conference in Sussex.

Delegates at the Drug and Alcohol Conference, in Eastbourne on Friday were told cocaine use was on the increase, as was drug-related crime.

The event was organised by members of the NHS Health Promotion Substance Misuse Team.

Conference organiser Nick Casey said: "It was an opportunity to find out about the latest thinking and work to tackle substance misuse and for people working in the field locally to discuss how we can best apply this knowledge and experience to the development of local prevention, harm reduction, treatment and care services.

"A tremendous amount of work is being done locally by many agencies working together and with service users and much is being achieved by providing better integrated and focussed services, but no-one under estimates the challenges around substance misuse."

Topics for discussion included drug related deaths, alcohol and domestic violence and after-care and relapse prevention.