“One death is too many” when it comes to tackling drug misuse in Ceredigion, councillors have been told, after data revealed there were eight drug-related deaths in the county last year as numbers rose for the third year in succession.

Data in a report put before members of Ceredigion council’s healthier communities overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday, 6 October showed that deaths had risen to eight in 2020, after seven were recorded in the county in 2019, and three in 2018.

Substance misuse corporate manager at Ceredigion County Council John Callow told members that the “ultimate reason we need a good drugs service is because we want to avoid this” but deaths were the “sad reality” of extensive drug use.

Mr Callow added that there were also 14 non-fatal overdoses, a number of which were “very close calls” between May 2020 and April 2021.

The report outlines, however, that the 14 non-fatal overdoses were only those reported to police, “so the actual figure may be significantly higher.”

Committee members highlighted their concerns at the meeting about drug use, including the impact on residents in social housing, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and the apparent “normalisation” of the issue.

Cllr John Roberts questioned the housing of young, vulnerable people with drink problems in HMOs where he said some then developed drug problems, and whether this was “enacting containment because we don’t know how to fix it.”

Councillors heard that the “focus of substance misuse work in Ceredigion is preventing harm, supporting people to improve their health and aid and maintain recovery, protecting families and enforcement activity to reduce availability and protect individuals and communities.”

Committee members heard that 644 referrals were made by the various support bodies for substance misuse in the county in 2020-21 - a 15 per cent drop from the previous year with services curbed by the pandemic.

The number of referrals had, prior to the past Covid-hit year, risen year-on-year in Ceredigion since 2017.

Members heard that support teams in the county meet weekly to co-ordinate work with those wanting to overcome their substance misuse supported.

“All these teams work together meeting on a weekly basis to ensure support is co-ordinated and appropriate,” the report but before members says.

“We are very fortunate to have such strong partnership working between the different teams.

“Ceredigion council funds services, provides the social care support for adults and assessments for placements in rehab.”

Report figures showed that last year, 355 people were seen by Hywel Dda health board staff in Ceredigion in 2020 for assessments for drug misuse, with the rate of drug misuse throughout the county reaching 371 per 100,000 of population at the end of last year.

• More drug possession charges are recorded in Aberystwyth Central ward than in any other ward in the whole of Dyfed-Powys, figures have revealed, with a report casting some of the blame in the direction of the town’s students.

A report put before members of Ceredigion council’s healthier communities overview and scrutiny committee showed that 74 drug possession offences occurred in Aberystwyth Central during 2019 - the latest figures available.

It was the only Ceredigion ward in the top five, and had nine more offences recorded then the second highest in Dyfed-Powys, the Elli ward in Carmarthenshire.

The report but before committee members said that the “largest volume of drug possession offences took place in Aberystwyth Central, adding that “some consideration should be given to the student population in Aberystwyth.”

• Morepeople smoke in south Ceredigion than the north of the county, data has revealed.

Figures from GPs put before Ceredigion council’s healthier communities overview and scrutiny committee show that 17.2 per cent of residents in south Ceredigion were smokers as of 2018, compared to 15.5 per cent of the north county population.

Data also revealed that in north Ceredigion, 19.9 per cent admitted ‘drinking above guidelines’, compared to 19.5 per cent in the south.