OPIATE treatment services in Bracknell and Wokingham are the most successful in the country but still help less than a fifth of participants shake their addictions.

Figures published in Healthier Lives: Alcohol & Drugs, 2017 show 17.9 per cent of participating opiate addicts, 23 in total, completed courses provided by Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) in 2016.

This puts Wokingham as the most successful local authority in England.

Bracknell Forest came a close second, with a 16.5 per cent success rate and 46 course completers.

While the figures may not appear impressive, the difficulty of helping people quit opiates, such as heroin, is underlined by other councils' low success rates.

In Birmingham, only 2.9 per cent of participants completed their courses, 0.4 per cent higher than last place Walsall.

Both areas do have significantly more addicts than Bracknell and Wokingham however, with 12 to 15 users per 1,000 population compared to an estimated 2.9 in Bracknell and 3.6 in Wokingham.

Darrell Gale, public health consultant at WBC said: “We are very proud of our success rate in providing those of our residents who need treatment for their drug or alcohol use with a timely and quality service.

"We know that sometimes their problems may lead them to need or use other public services, and so the costs of treatment provide great value as they lead to less expenditure in other areas of the public purse.”

The cost of helping opiate users and alcoholics overcome their addictions in Wokingham has also been revealed through a Freedom of Information request.

In 2016, WBC spent £515,693 on alcohol and substance misuse. 338 accessed the service and 185 completed treatment, costing £2,787 a success.