HEROIN addicts would be forced to kick all drugs instead of being prescribed methadone, under new hardline Tory plans.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis pledged to introduce "abstinence-based" treatment programmes, condemning Government attempts to "manage" addiction.

In his conference speech, Mr David poured scorn on Labour's claim to be tough on the causes of crime, saying: "In reality they gave up, especially on drugs.

"Spiralling drug abuse isn't inevitable. It's not a sign of the times, it's a sign of a failed policy.

"Take Labour's approach to drug rehabilitation. They spend taxpayers' money trying to manage addiction. That means keeping addicts on drugs. We want to get addicts off drugs. And we will introduce a major abstinence-based drugs rehabilitation program, a program that gets addicts off drugs, all drugs - for good."

Mr Davis' aides were quick to insist the policy was not "cold turkey", because addicts would be offered a limited period of detoxification.

In particular, the Shadow Home Secretary turned his fire on drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs), Labour's flagship scheme to break the link between drugs and crime.

Two years ago, a parliamentary committee warned that many offenders saw the programme - an alternative to a prison term - as a "Get out of jail free" card.

Only 13 per cent of orders were completed in North Yorkshire, 27 per cent in Teesside and 28 per cent in Northumbria. In Durham, the figure was 40 per cent.

The speech was peppered with a raft of initiatives similarly designed to appeal to traditional Conservative supporters.

A Tory government would cut immigration, establish zero-tolerance policing, increase prison places and create a new force to police Britain's borders, said Mr Davis.

He repeated pledges to scrap identity cards and end the early release scheme, which will free 25,000 prisoners this year to ease prison overcrowding.

With net immigration running at 200,000 every year, Mr Davis said the Conservatives would introduce an annual limit on economic migrants.