Almost one in 10 Brits have admitted taking cocaine, according to a new study.

A total of 9.4 per cent of people in England and Wales have used the drug, and 6.2 per cent of 15 to 34 year olds have snorted it in the last 12 months, confirming Britain's position as Europe's cocaine capital.

The number of British deaths caused by the drug have doubled in five years, reveals the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Abuse (EMCDD). 

The EMCDD says that cocaine is increasingly being cut with other substances, leading to growing health problems amongst users.

"While readily available, a lot of people know very little about cocaine and how risky taking it can be," said Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive of Addaction.

The EMCDD also revealed that drug traffickers are coming up with more advanced ways of importing the drug into the Europe, transporting it in plastics, fertiliser, liquids and herbs.

Britain also has one of the highest rates of cannabis use in Europe, behind Denmark, the Czech Republic and Italy. Almost a third of all people have tried cannabis, according to the study.