CRACK cocaine is the latest drugs menace threatening to flood the North-East, police warned last night.

They spoke out as a survey warned that children as young as nine have become addicted to heroin.

Now Cleveland Police have joined forces with other areas of the country in a bid to turn the tide.

Detective Superintendent John Kelly said criminals are targeting Teesside as a market for crack cocaine sales.

Det Supt Kelly said a number of West Indian-associated criminals had already been detected moving from London and Bristol to set up so-called "crack dens" on Teesside.

Despite recent crown court trials of dealers connected to Jamaican crime gangs, these latest drugs barons are not Yardies but predominantly British-born residents, he said.

"The increase in availability of this drug in our area stems from the fact we have a good communications system with ports, major road networks and an airport close by," said Det Supt Kelly.

"We have had an influx of crack cocaine dealers recently, all trying to establish a market. For them, Teesside, and Middlesbrough in particular, is ripe for development. It has cheap housing, a vice problem and a plentiful supply of drugs already - all perfect breeding grounds to spawn this new menace."

Cleveland Police have pooled information with forces covering Bristol, Manchester and Leeds, all suffering similar problems.

Mr Kelly said: "If we don't clamp down on this menace now - and come down hard and effectively on these people - then the use will become widespread and problems will escalate."

The urgency was underlined by health officials on Teesside, who revealed primary schoolchildren are being helped by local drug treatment agencies.

Dr Linda Wright, a Safe in Tees Valley consultant and expert in health and social care, compiled the worrying statistics following consultation with Teesside's drug treatment agencies.

She also found that the region has four times the national average of people under 20 receiving treatment for drug addiction and the highest number of young drug addicts in the country.

Dr Wright said yesterday: "The youngest children seen by the drug treatment agencies were nine. This is a very small number of very young children in treatment and that isn't just for heroin addiction, it could also be for cannabis and alcohol, for example.

"It is absolutely tragic. At nine, they should be playing with toys, not playing with drugs."