SUSPECTED drug deaths in Scotland have fallen by 10 per cent in a quarter, according to new figures.

The latest Rapid Drugs Alerts and Response (Radar) report records 215 drug-related deaths between September and October last year, 10 per cent down on the previous three months and 15 per cent down on the same period in 2023.

Drug-related attendances at A&E saw a similar fall, while administration of naloxone, used to revive those suspected heroin overdoses, fell by 30 per cent between September to November last year.

But the report, which does not cover the period since the opening of Britain’s first safe consumption room in Glasgow earlier this month, warned that contamination of illicit drugs with toxic substances is now “common and widespread across drug types.”

“There remains an urgent need for hospital toxicology and accessible drug checking services across the country,” it said.

SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Through our five-year, £250-million National Mission on drugs, we’re taking a wide range of actions, including working towards the opening of drug-checking facilities which would enable us to respond faster to emerging drug trends.”