THE streets of Canterbury are awash with heroin and the market for the class A drug in the city is growing faster than ever. Strangers can find the drug within 20 minutes and dealers are giving new users introductory offers.

These are the claims made by Mike Emberson, senior manager of Canterbury Open Centre for the homeless. He was speaking after another user of the centre died a suspected heroin-induced death and after the inquest into a regular centre user.

Colin Stock, 46, was found unconscious in disabled toilets at Canterbury's Kingsmead Swimming Pool. He died later in hospital.

A post mortem revealed he died of pneumonia but toxicology tests are being carried out to see if his death was drug induced, as he was known heroin user.

If tests confirm heroin did contribute to his death, he will be 12th Open Centre user to die a heroin-related death in two years.

Mr Emberson said: "Canterbury is awash with heroin. It's particularly cheap and readily available.

"We seem to have an increase in heroin-related deaths. I am told the dealers are doing introductory offers to new users. When I arrived three years ago most people would go to Dover or Faversham to score but now if you are in the know you could even score as a stranger within 20 minutes flat."

Heroin in Canterbury costs around £10 a bag but it's thought new users are offered the drug for as little as £5 a bag.

Tom Hall of the Kent Council for Addiction said 10 to 15 people a week, from the whole of east Kent, are referred to the KCA prescribing service, which helps heroin users beat their addiction with methadone.

But he stressed this did not reflect the number of people taking heroin on the streets. "Sometimes it is because our capacity to see them has grown or more people are aware of the service."

A police spokesman said it was caremongering to say Canterbury had a big heroin problem. He said: "Between April, 2001, and January, this year, there were 14 charges in relation to heroin. Canterbury does not have a big drugs problem."

A spokesman for Canterbury City Council, which owns and operates Kingsmead Swimming Pool, where Mr Stock was found, said he was not aware of any evidence that Mr Stock had injected drugs in the toilet.

He said: "As the pool is public building we can not restrict access. Staff are extremely vigilant at all times as was proved on this occasion. This was a tragic waste of life and very sad."