The UK government has announced a Glasgow summit on tackling drug deaths first promised last year will be held on the 27^th February.

The findings of a UK-wide review into drug-related deaths led by Professor Dame Carol Black will be unveiled at the meeting.

Drug recovery experts, health professionals, police and government ministers from all four regions of the UK will attend.

Recent figures show 1,187 Scots lost their lives to drugs in 2018 – the highest number on record.

The UK and Scottish governments have been at loggerheads over whether a drug consumption room should be introduced in Glasgow.

Elsewhere the Scottish government and two Westminster committees have called for drug decriminalisation.

But UK minister for crime, policing and the fire service Kit Malthouse, who will chair the event, said there was still a need for “firm enforcement action”.

He said: “People are dying from drugs every day across the UK, and this summit will bring us together to tackle the issue of drug misuse.

"We must have firm enforcement action and do all we can on prevention, recovery and treatment too.

"I look forward to meeting key individuals from across the UK and listening to their views on addressing this challenge."

Secretary of state for Scotland Alister Jack said: “The high numbers of lives lost to drugs in Scotland is a tragedy, a huge cause for concern.

“I am pleased that the UK government is to bring experts together from all parts of the country, to share experience about tackling this terrible scourge.‎”

It comes after a study linked higher than average rates of public injecting in Glasgow city centre to a HIV outbreak in the city.

The authors said having a clean, supervised space to inject drugs would reduce this risk.