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There were fewer drug seizures by police in Nottinghamshire last year, new figures show.

Release, the national centre for drugs expertise, said the Government's figures on drug seizures show the “futility of their efforts” as drug harm and death remains high.

The Home Office figures show there were 4,163 total drug seizures by Nottinghamshire Police in the year to March 2022, down from 4,459 in 2021.

A significant amount of the drugs seized in the area last year were cannabis plants, at 15,615 plants, and herbal cannabis, at 104 kilograms.

In Nottinghamshire, 6.8kilograms of cocaine and 0.1kg of ketamine were confiscated last year.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said the Government will continue to back police and Border Force to use every available power to stop drugs from entering the country.

He said the figures show how effective the Government’s approach has been as they “continue to go after the criminals who blight so many communities and destroy lives with these harmful substances”.

Nationally, 189,000 drug seizures were carried out last year, down 14 per cent from 220,000 seizures in 2021.

The figures also show a significant increase in the amount of cocaine seized by police and Border Force last year from more than 11,000kg in 2021 to nearly 19,000kg last year.

In addition, the amount of ketamine confiscated rose nearly ten-fold, from 187kg to 1,837kg respectively.

The Home Office said this stark increase was the product of more high-quantity seizures.

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Niamh Eastwood, Release executive director, said: “The market continues unabated, and harms continue to be at an all-time high, especially in relation to the tragedy of drug-related deaths.

“It is unsurprising to see cocaine at the top of the Class A seizure tables given its popularity, but despite tens of thousands of kilos of cocaine being taken off the streets there will be little impact on the availability of the drug.

“We need to start to look at what other countries are doing, ending criminal sanctions for possession offences, and exploring regulated markets and reducing the harms that people are experiencing.”

In Nottinghamshire, 6.8kg of cocaine and 0.1kg of ketamine were confiscated last year.

Regionally, police forces in the East Midlands confiscated 7 per cent of the drugs seized across England and Wales.

Drop in drug seizures in Nottinghamshire last year, reflecting national trend