BRITAIN has the highest level of cocaine use in Europe with more than one in ten young adults taking the drug and a eightfold rise in death rates.

Young Britons now snort almost as much of the white powder as their American counterparts, according to figures published by European drugs watchdogs.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction found that 11.6 per cent of Britons aged between 16 and 34 admit having used the drug.

In Britain, 6.8 per cent of all adults admitted they had tried it. The next highest figure is in Spain, with 4.9 per cent, followed by 4.6 per cent of Italians. The survey highlighted an increase in cocaine deaths. Figures show that they rose from 12 in 1993 to 96 in 2001. The figure is thought to have risen since, but no figures are available. Mentions of cocaine on death certificates in Britain have doubled in two years, to 171. Cocaine can contribute to death from cardiovascular problems and cerebral haemorrhages.