Revealed: Deadly epidemic of super-strength Chinese opioids gripping Britain’s streets

Exclusive: Figures reveal huge rise in deaths from drugs up to 500 times stronger than morphine – and experts fear true toll is much higher

Experts warn about the risk of a US-style opioid epidemic and fear the true scale of the crisis is yet to be uncovered (iStock)

Six people in the UK are dying each week from super-strength street drugs made in China which are up to 500 times stronger than morphine, The Independent can reveal, in a terrifying escalation in fatalities.

Shocking new figures show 75 additional deaths have been linked to new synthetic opioids called nitazenes in the last 11 weeks to 9 May – bringing the death toll to 176 lives lost in less than a year.

This includes 106 deaths in England, 21 in Wales, 47 in Scotland and two in Northern Ireland since last June, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).