MORE than half of North-East children have tried drugs by the time they reach the age of 14, according to a survey.

Drug workers say youngsters are more likely to get their first hit from a friend than a drug pusher at the school gates.

The recent deaths of County Durham youngster Stacey Laight, 15, of Peterlee, and Catherine Longstaff, also 15, of Bishop Auckland, have highlighted the issue.

Stacey died after taking a drugs cocktail, including Ecstacy, while Catherine's death is thought to be heroin-related.

Keith Cotgrave, headteacher at Bishop Barrington School, Bishop Auckland, said the rise in drug abuse among the young was alarming.

"It is a fact that when I first came to teaching it just wasn't there, but it is there now - it's part of a culture outside school," he said.

Like many schools, Bishop Barrington works closely with police to educate youngsters on the dangers of drugs.

Detective Constable Leigh Johnson, Durham Police's drug education awareness coordinator, said officers talked about the law and the consequences of being caught with drugs when visiting schools.

"We talk about reprimands, how you can be stopped in the street and searched, how your home can be searched, and the effect that has on family and friends," she said.

Research carried out in Northumbria for the Government's Drugs Prevention Advisory Service found that of those who had tried a drug, up to 70 per cent would use it again.

The pushers are often the children's friends.

David Cliff, coordinator of the County Durham and Darlington Drug Action Teams, said: "We've had the odd story of people passing drugs through ice cream vans at the school gates, but it's passed between friends, rather than people loitering.

"Peer pressure is a contributor, but it's a combination of opportunity - what local markets you've got - and what the local culture is."

Detective Superintendent Tom Ryan, of Durham Police, said that they focused on targeting main dealers.

"The young is a certain section of society which is easily approachable and easily impressionable," he said.

"The only way we can combat that is by education and awareness, and by being pro-active against those dealing drugs."