Cocaine is now cheaper than lager

DEADLY drugs like heroin and crack cocaine are being peddled for LESS than a pint of lager.

One hit of heroin now costs as little as £2-that's 70p less than a pint in a pub. And a line of coke is just £2.50.

Prices have plummeted because vast quantities of drugs are now flowing into Britain.

And now kids are being hooked on deadly habits for the price of mere pocket money.

Don Serratt, chief executive of the Life Works drug and alcohol treatment centre in London, warned: "Usage of cocaine, crack and heroin is going through the roof because it is so cheap.

"The cheaper it is, the less people have to beg, borrow or steal to get hold of it.

"It used to take users years to get addicted. But now they are getting hooked in a matter of months because they can get hold of as much as they want."

Official Home Office figures show the price of drugs has HALVED in the last 10 years.

One spliff of cannabis now costs just 66p, a hit of crack cocaine is £2 and an Ecstasy tablet £1.

On Friday night a News of the World reporter bought a gram of cocaine at a Cheshire pub for just £25 - enough for 10 lines at £2.50 each.

Until recently, cocaine used to sell for £50 a gram in most towns and cities.

Our girl quickly struck the deal at the Greenwood pub in Warrington, after approaching a man wearing black jeans and check T-shirt, who told her he could have a bag of coke delivered later that day.

Two hours later a dealer called our girl and asked her to meet him outside the pub.

The scruffy man, in his early twenties and wearing a red T-shirt and jeans, was waiting for her in the street. He handed her a packet of cigarettes with a bag of coke inside.

He told her: "I've got to be careful. Can't be seen handing over bags of drugs here, as the police keep an eye on it.

"It's £25 but it's supposed to be good stuff. I've not tried it myself but it should be OK as the guy I get it off is normally dead reliable.

"It's cheap, so it might have been cut with a bit of whizz (speed or amphetamine) but for £25 you can't grumble, can you?"

Inside the pub we had to fork out £2.70 for a pint of Stella Artois premium lager.

Once the cocaine had been divided up into equal amounts, our deal worked out at just £2.50 a line.

Publican Lesley Clarke said he was horrified when we told him that drugs were being sold at his pub. He said: "I'm just gobsmacked. I'm absolutely gutted. We've worked really hard to stamp out drugs and I'm upset this has happened.

"We will do our best to find out who it is, so it can't happen again."

Later, the News of the World handed the drugs to Warrington police.

Insp. Brian Heywood told us: "We welcome this information and will work with our partners to help eradicate drugs from the town's streets."