DEATHS due to drugs misuse in Gwent during 2012-14 fell compared to the previous three years, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
There were 51 such deaths recorded in the area in the three years to 2014, compared to 58 during 2009-11.
Torfaen and Monmouthshire, with five each, registered the lowest number of deaths in Wales due to drugs misuse during 2012-14.
Gwent's five council areas registered small decreases or increases in such deaths during the latter three years, in stark contrast to other areas of Wales.
In Rhondda Cynon Taf the toll for 2012-14 was 52, against 43 for the previous three-year period - and drugs misuse deaths in the Vale of Glamorgan more than doubled, from 11 to 23.
The ONS figures also reveal that the number of people who died due to drugs misuse in Wales fell almost 20 per cent in 2014, to 168, with men accounting for 110 of the victims.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here