RED-EYED and twitching, they hang around outside the Ritzy cinema in Brixton desperate for their next fix. But one thing sets them apart from other junkies in this South London neighbourhood - this lot have bushy tails.

Squirrels have apparently become the latest victims of ' Britain's drug culture, after the freebasing fiends began digging up and eating crack cocaine buried by local dealers.

A similar problem is said to have plagued the residents of estates in New York and Washington where drugs are rife.