Respondents who have tried cocaine

Brighton - 86% Bristol - 76% Glasgow - 61% Newcastle - 59% Leeds - 55% London - 46% Manchester - 30% Cardiff - 23% Coleraine - 23% Birmingham - 21%

The findings suggested attitudes towards the Class A drug among people Brighton also gave the most cause for concern.

Nearly half of those surveyed said they believed that cocaine was less dangerous than ecstasy.

Face editor Johnny Davis said that the rise in the use of cocaine, which in the past had been regarded as a "glamour" drug taken mainly by celebrities, was partly due to its wider availability and falling cost.

The ever-growing "public face" of the drug fuelled by celebrity confessions has also been cited as a reason for the increase.

'Teenage abusers'

Mr Davis said: "The cocaine survey was conducted following a recent government report's findings that Brits were the worst teenage abusers of drink, cigarettes and drugs in Europe."

Cocaine is sold in grams, and the survey showed that the cheapest gram could be bought in London for as little as �10.

The most expensive gram was priced at �100 and found in Leeds.

Frazer McEwen, director of services for Addaction in Brighton, said he was not surprised by the findings.

Addaction is a national organisation which provides a range of community and prison-based drug and alcohol services.

'Anxiety and paranoia'

Mr McEwen said: "Drug use in Brighton is significant on many levels but as far as the issue of cocaine and crack cocaine are concerned it's very difficult to monitor.

"There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that the use of cocaine is on the rise but because of the nature of the drug itself people do not present to drug services unless they are in crisis."

Mr McEwen said it was important that potential cocaine users were aware of the implications of taking the drug.

He said: "People use the drug socially and recreationally but there can be problems associated with its long-term use, such as anxiety and paranoia.

"Many people take the drug because it allows them to stay up longer, drink more and not sleep. But the drug speeds up the heart rate and the long-term effects of this should be considered."