Cocaine on tap at London's bars

The scale of cocaine abuse in London can be revealed today. An Evening Standard investigation found traces of the class A drug in the lavatories of more than half of the capital's top bars and nightclubs.

In the wake of new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair's promise to clamp down on middle-class drug use, our reporters tested 10 venues across London.

They found traces of cocaine in the lavatories of six. Venues that tested positive include Panagaea and Chinawhite, two nightclubs frequented by Prince Harry.

Despite our survey being carried out on a quiet mid-week evening, drug use still appeared to be widespread.

Reporters donned latex gloves and used sterilised swabs to test each lavatory.

Samples were taken from toilet lids, cisterns, shelves - and even the lids of sanitary bins. These were then put in collection test tubes and sealed inside secure police evidence bags.

The samples were sent to a forensic laboratory, where they were analysed for the most common drugs - including cocaine.

Positive samples were then tested a second time. Today, the lab confirmed the results. "There is absolutely no doubt, six of the samples contain traces of cocaine," said Chris Harrison of forensic analysis laboratory Scientifics.

In the fashionable bars and clubs of London, our reporters found the drug was commonplace. Getting into Panagaea - the Piccadilly nightclub where Prince Harry was pictured scuffling with a photographer in October - is not easy.

We queued outside for almost an hour, watching as businessmen and boy-band lookalikes rolled out of sports cars and walked straight past the bouncers.

When we finally got inside, the atmosphere was charged. Scantily-clad models danced on tables - which each have a minimum spend of ?500 - while groups of older men, many of them City bankers, stood sipping Cristal champagne.

A stream of glamorous, tanned women went in and out of the lavatories. Inside the cubicles we found visible traces of white powder on the only flat surface - the lid of a sanitary bin.

Forensic analysis confirmed that it was cocaine, mixed with traces of caffeine. A spokesman for Panagaea said today: "We don't condone drug use. We have no further comment."

The Notting Hill Arts Club is a favourite of the west London set that includes Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Jade Jagger. We arrived to find the club still busy. The lavatories were messy, with what looked like a discarded drugs wrap on the floor of one cubicle.

Our forensic experts found traces of cocaine on swabs taken from the club lavatories. The club refused to comment last night.

Chinawhite in Air Street is a favourite watering-hole for Alist stars. The setting is opulent - decked out with Chinese day beds and oriental furniture.

Here, in the Asian-themed bathrooms, we found remains of white powder scraped across a toilet lid. Our scientists found Chinawhite's lavatories tested positive for cocaine. The club's management refused to comment on our findings.

According to latest figures, there are an estimated 622,000 regular users of cocaine in London. More than half of all UK seizures of the drug are in the capital.

Cocaine seizures in London rocketed by 400 per cent in a year, figures published last year revealed. Police recovered 360kg of cocaine with a street value of £9 million, compared with 96kg the previous year.

Our findings come after Sir Ian announced a "war" on weekend drug-users. Sir Ian, who took over from Sir John Stevens as Commissioner this

week, said: "People think that in certain fashionable clubs [and] restaurants it is okay to do drugs. People may find out that it is not."

He suggested "a few examples" should be made of those caught taking cocaine, to show that casual use of class A drugs is not acceptable.

At Bar Soho in Old Compton Street groups of young people shouted over booming dance music. In the women's lavatories, empty paper wraps were left scattered on a shelf, together with traces of fine white powder. Tests proved it was cocaine.

A statement from Soho Clubs & Bars Limited, which owns Bar Soho, said: "Managers and licensed door supervisors have completed courses approved by Westminster council on preventing and detecting drug use. (We) take proper precautions to prevent drug use on (the) premises but use in cubicles (if proven) cannot be prevented."

At Lab, a slick cocktail bar in Old Compton Street, our tests on surfaces in the lavatories proved cocaine was being used. Andrea Montague, the manager of Lab, said today: "We've never had a big problem with cocaine, but obviously if it's there then we will have to deal with it."

All Bar One in Charing Cross Road is a favourite with office parties and theatregoers. But even here the lavatories tested positive for cocaine.

A spokesman for All Bar One said today: "We will be carrying out a full investigation. It is not something we condone. We do not want to comment further."