THE NHS manager behind one of the region's most successful drug action teams has been suspended on full pay.

Last night it emerged that David Cliff, County Durham's Drug and Alcohol Action Team (Dat) co-ordinator, was suspended from his position several months ago. It is not clear when or if he will be reinstated.

Yesterday, a senior official at Easington Primary Care Trust, the organisation that employs Mr Cliff, would only confirm that an unidentified member of the County Durham Drug Action Team had been suspended.

The official declined to give any reason for the suspension or any other details. But sources have confirmed that the suspended Dat team member is Mr Cliff.

Since the late 1990s, Mr Cliff has been involved in planning and organising services for people who misuse drugs and alcohol. According to the website of Easington PCT, which hosts the Durham Dat team, the Durham Dat had a budget of £1.8m in 2004 to 2005.

Initially, Mr Cliff worked for the County Durham and Darlington team, but when Darlington split away from County Durham and gained unitary council status he retained control over services in County Durham.

Last year, he presided over the setting up of a high-profile service designed to get adult drugmisusing offenders out of crime and into treatment.

The 247 Drug Intervention Programme, which was launched at a conference in Durham last September, aims to treat offenders' addiction by offering 24-hour, seven-days-a-week confidential advice and help to drug users, their families and their friends.

On the day that the project was launched, Gary Barnett, Assistant Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary, said: "The programme is the key to improving the quality of people's lives across County Durham."

Eight months after the programme was launched, it is still helping drug misusers to get treatment for their addiction and steering them away from crime.

Mr Cliff has also overseen the establishment of the Claypath Project, a service for people with alcohol and drug problems in North Durham, which was hailed by as a big success by NHS officials last year.

Mr Cliff was not available for comment.