THE PRICE of heroin in York has dropped so much it is now available more cheaply than "softer" drugs such as cannabis, the Evening Press can reveal.

And we have learned that addicts openly sell heroin only yards from the city centre in an effort to fund their habits.

Dealing is said to take place in the St Saviourgate area, and some go to an area behind The Stonebow to take the drug.

The Evening Press has already revealed another drugs den in Walmgate, yards from the city centre and on the site of a Channel 4 Time Team Viking dig.

Individual deals, or "wraps", of the drug can now be bought for as little as £5, a source has now told us.

A standard eighth of an ounce deal of cannabis is said to sell for between £10 and £15.

The source - who has used heroin in the past - said: "Heroin is easy to get. There are plenty of dealers selling it and it's cheap.

"Weed (cannabis) can be quite cheap in York but if brown (heroin) is cheaper, then kids who just want to smoke a few joints might end up buying it instead.

"It is worrying because of how addictive brown is, but I don't know what could be done about it. I don't touch it any more, but plenty of people do - and while it is very easy to get started it is much more difficult to stop."

York Police Chief Superintendent Gary Barnett said the force is "well aware" of the easy availability of heroin in York. Both dealers and users are actively targeted, he said, with more arrests among these groups being made this year than in 2000.

But he warned against putting heroin and "recreational" drugs in the same bracket.

People using substances such as cannabis, amphetamines and ecstasy often tend to follow a different lifestyle to heroin users, he said.

Because of this, heroin and cannabis are not necessarily competing in the drugs market.

Mr Barnett added: "It is fair to say cheap supplies are available. But their quality is not known and can vary markedly. People should be very wary about buying drugs from an uncontrolled source.

"Our research indicates that people who use the more recreational drugs such as amphetamine or ecstasy are not usually the same people as use heroin.

"Consequentially, its price does not directly put it (heroin) in competition with other drugs.

"I would stress that we review any developments in the drug scene that are of concern and will actively take measures to combat them," Mr Barnett added.

Updated: 11:20 Thursday, August 30, 2001