Kate's career in tatters

Other lucrative deals with Dior, H Stern and Roberto Cavalli may also be in jeopardy. Only make-up firm Rimmel - which pays her £1million a year - is continuing its support.

Social services officers from Westminster Council plan to interview Miss Moss about her daughter when she returns from America to her home in St John's Wood, North London, later this week.

A spokesman said: 'We would, of course, take seriously any allegations that any child in Westminster may have been put at risk or is suffering neglect or physical harm.' Sources said if social workers discover any evidence that Lila has been physically harmed or abused, she could be taken into care. A more likely scenario - if reports that Doherty has taken cocaine and smoked marijuana in front of the child are true - is that she could be placed on the 'at risk' register.

Lila's father, magazine publisher Jefferson Hack, is said to have been 'alarmed' by the reports of Miss Moss's drugtaking and could take matters into his own hands by applying for custody of his daughter. The model can also expect to feel the full weight of the law after Sir Ian Blair hinted that he would like the see the book thrown at her if his officers find evidence to back up the drugtaking allegations.

He said it had been a mistake on a previous occasion to issue a caution to another celebrity drug-taker - believed to be James Hewitt - who was arrested for being in possession of a Class A drug in July last year. Revealing that he was personally involved in the decision to investigate Miss Moss's behaviour, Sir Ian said: 'We have to look at the impact of this kind of behaviour on impressionable young people and if there is evidence, something should be done about it.'

And he told told BBC News 24's Hardtalk programme last night: 'If we have an allegation about a person who is so much in the public eye and a role model, it seems to me important that we investigate.'

Miss Moss's life began to unravel when pictures of her snorting cocaine in a recording studio with Doherty were published last Wednesday.

That was followed by allegations that she has a £200-a-day cocaine habit, and had had drug-fuelled lesbian threesomes with actresses Sadie Frost and Davinia Taylor.

She was also reported to have taken cocaine during a charity dinner for Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund, and to have worked her way through a ' fistsized' mound of cocaine with fellow model Naomi Campbell.

Sources say she is contemplating going into rehabilitation to try to save her career. A spokesman for Miss Moss refused to comment yesterday.