TWO former heroin addicts are warning that the drugs problem in a small market town could spiral out of control if action is not taken.

The pair have called on health bosses to offer more support to users in Richmond wanting to kick the habit.

Paula Mann, 28, of Corporation Road, Darlington, has now put her life back together after becoming addicted in 1996 while running the Castle Tavern, in Richmond Market Place.

"Taking heroin means you lose weight, your looks and your self-esteem," said the psychology and sociology student studying at Teesside University.

"It ruins you and your family's life. You are treated like scum, but people need to realise that a drug addiction is a disease.

"As soon as I became addicted, I knew I needed help - but the help wasn't there."

After five years of being an addict, Miss Mann managed to kick the habit after getting help in Darlington.

Her partner, Jason Alderson, 34, was born in Richmond and still has friends in the town. Like Miss Mann, he became addicted after smoking heroin four or five times when drunk.

He only managed to come off the drug by signing up to a methadone programme, also in Darlington.

"When I go back, I can see the problem in Richmond has got a lot worse in the last four years," said the self-employed joiner.

"More people are becoming addicted and it needs to be addressed before it gets out of control."

The couple decided to speak out after an offender pleaded with a judge last week to lock him up, rather than send him home to be tormented by drug addicts near where he lives in Richmond.

In response, Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) says the support for addicts has increased recently.

"There has been a prescribing clinic in the town for the last five years," said a spokeswoman.

"GPs in Richmond are able to refer patients immediately to the PCT's substance misuse team. On average, waiting times are now close to the national guideline of three weeks and, in many cases, people are seen more quickly than this, sometimes within one week."