Valium is not just for depressed housewives with bad hair and pearl necklaces.

In fact, the drug which helped tranquilised an entire nation of bored women during the 60s and 70s is making a comeback - as a cheap alternative to heroin.

According to DrugScope, there has been an increase in people using the pill known as ‘Mother’s Little Helper’ in 15 of the 20 UK towns surveyed.

So what is behind the increase? Well, in its heyday, Valium - or diazepam to give it its correct non trademark name - was prescribed by loads of GPs desperate to get moaning mothers out of their waiting rooms.

It’s still prescribed today, but mainly for help in helping people deal with giving up harder drugs or alchohol.

And it’s this that is boosting trade. At £1 a pill it’s certainly a cheaper alternative to crack and heroin and it seems the UK cannot get enough of the stuff.

That’s led to a surge of illegal drugs pouring into Britain from other European countries.

In fact, according to DrugScope, police and customs seizures of diazepam has risen from 300,000 to two million in just two years.

DrugScope’s chief executive Martin Barnes said: “The rise in the use of illicitly imported diazepam is concerning, particularly as drug users face a high risk of overdose when using the drug in combination with other drugs such as methadone and alcohol.”

Valium is not just for depressed housewives with bad hair and pearl necklaces.

In fact, the drug which helped tranquilised an entire nation of bored women during the 60s and 70s is making a comeback - as a cheap alternative to heroin.

According to DrugScope, there has been an increase in people using the pill known as ‘Mother’s Little Helper’ in 15 of the 20 UK towns surveyed.

So what is behind the increase? Well, in its heyday, Valium - or diazepam to give it its correct non trademark name - was prescribed by loads of GPs desperate to get moaning mothers out of their waiting rooms.

It’s still prescribed today, but mainly for help in helping people deal with giving up harder drugs or alchohol.

And it’s this that is boosting trade. At £1 a pill it’s certainly a cheaper alternative to crack and heroin and it seems the UK cannot get enough of the stuff.

That’s led to a surge of illegal drugs pouring into Britain from other European countries.

In fact, according to DrugScope, police and customs seizures of diazepam has risen from 300,000 to two million in just two years.

DrugScope’s chief executive Martin Barnes said: “The rise in the use of illicitly imported diazepam is concerning, particularly as drug users face a high risk of overdose when using the drug in combination with other drugs such as methadone and alcohol.”

Valium is not just for depressed housewives with bad hair and pearl necklaces.

In fact, the drug which helped tranquilised an entire nation of bored women during the 60s and 70s is making a comeback - as a cheap alternative to heroin.

According to DrugScope, there has been an increase in people using the pill known as ‘Mother’s Little Helper’ in 15 of the 20 UK towns surveyed.

So what is behind the increase? Well, in its heyday, Valium - or diazepam to give it its correct non trademark name - was prescribed by loads of GPs desperate to get moaning mothers out of their waiting rooms.

It’s still prescribed today, but mainly for help in helping people deal with giving up harder drugs or alchohol.

And it’s this that is boosting trade. At £1 a pill it’s certainly a cheaper alternative to crack and heroin and it seems the UK cannot get enough of the stuff.

That’s led to a surge of illegal drugs pouring into Britain from other European countries.

In fact, according to DrugScope, police and customs seizures of diazepam has risen from 300,000 to two million in just two years.

DrugScope’s chief executive Martin Barnes said: “The rise in the use of illicitly imported diazepam is concerning, particularly as drug users face a high risk of overdose when using the drug in combination with other drugs such as methadone and alcohol.”