Study finds two UK cities have the highest cocaine use in Europe

Cocaine is everywhere!

The study, which tested sewer water for traces of cocaine, was conducted by the European Union Drugs Agency.

It found that Middlesbrough led the continent for cocaine use across both weekday and weekend levels.

The study also found that Bristol came in second place for cocaine usage, but first place for ketamine.

Waste and sewage water is regarded as a reliable method of tracking drug trends as they provide a measurement of people's habits.

The data also found that MIddlesborough's weekday average was around 2487.94 milligrams of cocaine per 1,000 people per day, which is over double the amount that is average in Amsterdam.

This number then rose to 3,000 on weekends.

Bristol showed a reading of 1280 on weekdays and 1517 on weekends.

Numbers for Manchester, London, and Glasgow didn't feature in the EU's latest study, however all three have often featured close to the top on similar lists for European cocaine use.

“We will continue to work across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply.

“We are also strengthening our border security to tackle the criminal gangs putting lives at risk. A record number of illegal drugs were seized by police and Border Force in the year to March 2025, including 23,706 seizures of powder cocaine.”