NEW data reveals that Barrow had among the highest rates of deaths caused by alcohol, drugs and, suicide in England over a three-year period. 

Researchers from the University of Manchester analysed coroners' court records from 2019 to 2021.

Their analysis showed 46,200 people lost their lives due to drugs, alcohol or suicide in England – the equivalent of 42 people per day.

In Barrow, there were 37 deaths linked to alcohol, a further 37 caused by drugs and 29 suicides reported during the same period – which includes the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

In total, there were 103 'deaths of despair', a collective term for deaths from these causes.

It meant the area had one of the highest mortality rates in England with 63.4 deaths per 100,000 people.

MP for Barrow in Furness Simon Fell lamented the number of deaths but highlighted the 'excellent' role of support services in the area.

Mr Fell said: "Every one of these deaths is a tragedy and could have been prevented.

"There is a considerable amount of work going on in statutory services to raise awareness, change behaviour, and go after criminals where they are responsible, but there is also a small army of local support services such as SAFA, Andy's Man Club, The Well, Mind and so very many more, who are doing excellent work for the community too.

"Those tireless volunteers do amazing work and prevent so much harm, and I am very grateful to them for that."

The study found local authorities with higher proportions of unemployment, white British ethnicity and people living alone had higher mortality rates.

Urban and economically inactive areas also tended to have higher rates.

Dave Higham, founder of the drug rehabilitation support group The Well, said that those who are not in treatment are 'more likely' to die. 

Mr Higham said: "We have helped hundreds and hundreds of people supporting them in our housing project and in the drug treatment recovery steps. In Cumbria, with our partnership approach with Humankind and The Well, we have been able to increase capacity and get people into treatment because if they are in treatment they are less likely to die.

"We need to get people into treatment and need to get them on the right medication, the right support and then helping them and this reduces the related deaths."

The Well is working with police on a project called County Lines Informed Cumbria (1CLIC) to disrupt organised crime gangs flooding towns with drugs. 

In March, they claimed that in its first year the project saw a 50 per cent reduction in consequential crime and demand in known drug 'hotspot' areas.