More than a dozen drug-related deaths were registered on the Isle of Wight last year, new data shows.

It comes as the total number of deaths caused by drugs across England and Wales hit an all-time high.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there were 13 drug-related deaths registered on the Isle of Wight in 2023 – up from ten in 2022.

The figures cover deaths related to poisonings and drug misuse, from both controlled and non-controlled drugs.

Across the two nations, 5,448 deaths were registered in 2023 – an 11 per cent rise on the year before, and the highest figure since records began in 1993.

Registered drug deaths nationwide have now risen every year since 2012.

The ONS said due to delays, more than half of the deaths reported in their latest data for 2023 happened in previous years.

The figures show the North East had the highest rate of drug deaths in 2021-23, with 15.7 per 100,000 of the population. London had the lowest rate at 5.5 per 100,000.

In the South East it was 6.7 per 100,000.

The ONS said around half of the deaths last year involved an opiate, such as heroine or morphine, while cocaine deaths have doubled since 2011 and accounted for a fifth of all fatalities in 2023.