It has been called the best place to live in the south east - and the number one location to visit in the UK.

Thanks to millions of pounds of investment in recent years, Folkestone has gained a reputation as a buzzing coastal destination.

However, away from the glamour of the harbour arm and the charm of the Creative Quarter, there remains a darker side to the town most tourists do not see.

Amid growing levels of addiction - and mounting “despair” due to a lack of support - drug-related deaths in the district have spiked.

The local MP says it is “alarming” and reflects “wider challenges around deprivation and poverty in Folkestone”.

Here we speak to former addicts, families affected by the tragedies, police, council chiefs and charity workers about what can be done to tackle the worrying trend.

Mum fears town facing a drug ‘epidemic’

Ben Davey was just 16 when he overdosed on ecstasy pills at his home in Marshall Street, Folkestone, in June.

Following an inquest into his death earlier this year, his mum Natalie Malloch told KentOnline: “He got in with the wrong crowd, was led completely down the wrong path and now he’s paid for it.

“It's genuinely turned into an epidemic there. I used to live in Folkestone and I'd never go back because of the way that it's got. It's awful, it's horrible.

“I want his death to be an eye-opener for children and young people who may think it's fun at the time to play with drugs.

“Lives are being ruined and adults are the ones that are selling it or giving it to the younger generations.”

In another recent high-profile case, a coroner heard how 24-year-old Leah Daley, from Folkestone, had died from cocaine toxicity.

She had gone missing before being found in undergrowth at The Warren in May last year following a 12-day search.

What do the stats tell us?

The latest available figures show the number of people who died from drug poisoning in Folkestone and Hythe rose to 23 in 2023 from just nine the year before.

James Parker, head of community services at the Forward Trust charity, which helps recovering addicts, told KentOnline: “It is a sad reality that we do see spikes in drug-related deaths in particular areas of the country at certain times.

“These are for a number of reasons which can be related to the complexity of those who use drugs and drink alcohol dependently.”

He says there is “nothing specifically different” about Folkestone to explain the spike two years ago and there “hasn’t been a repeat in subsequent years”.

Looking at the data between 2019 and 2023, there have been 63 such deaths in the district.

But this is fewer than in Canterbury (68), Thanet (72) and Maidstone (77). In Medway, which has a much larger population, the figure is 129.

Mr Parker said: “Most deaths are what we call deaths of despair – people who are lonely, they’re using drugs in situations where they don’t have support or other people to protect them.”

He says the charity is seeing more dangerous drugs entering supply chains and increased levels of addiction since the Covid pandemic.

Nationally, deaths from drug misuse in England and Wales are up 11%.

“We are seeing the drug market in the UK shift in a worrying direction, driven by the profit motive of traffickers, so police and border authorities need to react quickly,” Mr Parker added.

“The police test drugs that are seized and provide intelligence on all drug seizures and serious incidents. This information advises all partners when there are dangers to the public with regards to drugs in Kent.”

How brazen dealers push their products as demand rises

Police say they are determined to take dealers off the streets in Folkestone - but criminals are now deploying new tactics adapted to the digital world.

A few months ago, posters were put up across the town with QR codes linking to a website offering first-class delivery of cannabis.

It shows how dealers are becoming more brazen as demand for their products is rising.

KentOnline previously revealed how drug offences in the county had risen 45% in the space of five years, with one former addict claiming cocaine use is “rife”.

Official figures released in November show more than 80,000 people in Kent use illegal drugs, with 32,000 taking Class A substances.

Police say they were called to less than half of the drug-related deaths in Folkestone in 2023, suggesting a significant proportion were not caused by illegal substances.

But District Commander Ch Insp Mark Hedges says his officers do attend calls where drugs have played a part in medical incidents or criminal offences.

“Our knowledge of such dangers makes us all the more determined to take drug dealers off the streets of Folkestone and we do this day-in day-out, both in targeted pre-planned operations and in stop and searches by our beat teams,” he said.

“I urge anyone who thinks drugs are being dealt in their area to contact the police, so we can take action to keep the public safe and bring those behind the trade to justice.”

Is more education the answer?

As an unruly teenager, Lara Kellam became addicted to ecstasy pills after suffering from mental health difficulties.

Now clean for a number of years, the 21-year-old from Ashford uses social media to educate people on the dangers of drug use.

“The teenagers now that are doing drugs should be educated on how many teenagers are actually dying,” Lara said.

“It's about working together as a community. They need to be taught what the dangers are, but also how to stay safe with drugs.”

The mum-of-one says peer pressure played a part in the path she took. But counselling and prevention programmes in school did not help.

She said: “Every time I went to the school for help, they would turn me down and would say you've got January blues or it's hormones or it's this or it's that – I wasn’t taken seriously because of my age.

“I went through drug counselling and during it, they asked me questions like ‘Do you want to try any other drugs? We'll talk through what it's like and the dangers,’ and I still went on to do drugs.”

What is being done to tackle drug deaths in Kent?

Tony Vaughan, Folkestone and Hythe’s Labour MP, says “prevention and awareness are key” to tackling the issue.

“We must educate young people about the risks of drug use, improve access to mental health support, and strengthen partnerships between healthcare providers, schools, law enforcement, and community organizations to address the root causes of addiction,” he said.

“These deaths also reflect wider challenges around deprivation and poverty in Folkestone.

“The issue of drug abuse and dependency are intimately linked, and these wider societal challenges are what the government’s five missions are designed to address."

Anjan Ghosh, Kent County Council’s director of public health, says his team leads an alliance of 30 partners working to reduce the number of deaths.

They help ensure the most vulnerable people can easily access the right treatments, such as the use of Naloxone - a lifesaving opioid antidote.

Mr Ghosh says they also work with schools to ensure young people know where to go for help.

Recent local activity has centred around Maidstone, Folkestone and Thanet where services are “reaching out to the local community”.

He added: “We are beginning to see reduced drug-related deaths across Kent and we continue to work closely with crime partnerships and health alliances in our most concerning areas.

“We are particularly focused on people with complex problems including mental health, drugs and alcohol and are working with local council homeless and housing teams, the local police and our voluntary sector to make sure people get the treatment they need.”

Mr Parker, from the Forward Trust, says public health measures that can help reduce overdose death risks include accessible and accurate safety advice, harm reduction services and offering people living with addiction a practical way out.

He added: “Forward provides both prevention and awareness. We will continue with this approach and work closely with all partners and stakeholders to provide drug training and education to all those who want it.”

People in Dover and Folkestone wanting to contact the charity can call 01304 248 290 or the out-of-hours team on 0300 304 8007.