Traces of cocaine have allegedly been found in the toilets of 11 out of 25 “top cathedrals and churches” in the UK, according to an investigation.
The Sun claims to have found evidence of the class A drug during its own investigation into potential cocaine abuse in churches by using swabs that become blue when the drug is detected. The newspaper claims its swabs are 95 per cent accurate.
The newspaper allegedly found traces of cocaine in the toilets of 11 iconic cathedrals and churches, including St Paul’s, St Leonard’s in Shoreditch and Canterbury cathedral.
A spokesperson for Canterbury Cathedral told The Independent: "We are sorry to have been advised that cocaine was traced on one of the surfaces in the public toilet block in the Canterbury Cathedral Precincts last week.
"These toilets, which are available to the one million people who visit Canterbury Cathedral every year, are inspected regularly throughout the day and there has been no evidence of repeated drug use taking place in them."
A spokeswoman for St Paul’s said: “These are public toilets used by a great many members of the public, and we have about two million visitors a year.”
St Leonard’s has yet to respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson told The Sun that it “tolerated” drug use if it meant addicts were coming to the church for help, as it hosts Narcotic Anonymous groups on the premises.
Responding to the allegations that Church of England premises were included in the list of 11 places, the church said in a statement: “Church of England buildings including the toilets, are open to all, in every community, we are not a membership organisation.
“Equally we take all health and safety issues very seriously and would always act when alerted to any concerns.”
