Barrow struggles with drug use, kids running deliveries, despite shipyard jobs and police efforts to stop drug trade.
Nearby, people build Navy submarines at a huge BAE Systems shipyard. These submarines cost billions. Locals feel pride in shipbuilding. However, the town struggles with poverty and drug issues are also a problem.
Barrow got a bad name for heroin use. Overdose deaths spiked as county lines gangs bring drugs from Manchester and Liverpool. The gangs often use kids to deliver heroin and crack cocaine.
Police have worked hard to stop the drugs, and many drug dens closed down. The drug trade still hurts the area though. A former addict named Chris Gibson spoke out; he said heroin remains a big issue. Ketamine is also a rising problem, and young people are getting sick.
One heroin user lives near shipyard worker homes. He injects heroin several times a day and started using at eighteen. He takes any drugs he can find.
Chris, now 46, beat his addiction. Rehab helped him get clean, and he now helps others recover. He recalls his addiction as a nightmare, stating that it wrecked his life and family.
Another person, Mike Brownhill, also spoke, saying that drugs are too easy to get. He got clean when his partner was pregnant and feels lucky to be alive.
Many drug dens moved locations after closures. Drug issues have deep roots here. Barrow had many opiate deaths in 2018; the rate was double the national average.
The town was once called the “drugs capital of the north.” Drug deaths were higher than in big cities. Police have started anti-drug programs, and eight people went to jail in July for using kids to deliver drugs.
Cumbria Police pledged to fight drug crime and want to protect vulnerable people. They will use local tips to find drug dealers, and the police will also do stop searches.
Barrow is the hometown of famous people. It faces poverty and unemployment. Not all news is bad though; some locals have hope for the town.
One local, Geoff Pike, likes living there and thinks kids use drugs from boredom. Another local, Ilyas Cosar, finds it quiet now and likes the shipyard worker presence.