Crack cocaine has overtaken heroin as the most commonly abused drug in Ireland, according to a Dublin addiction service.

The Coolmine drug and alcohol treatment centre said 33% of its admissions are now for crack cocaine addiction.

It suggests the drug is now more commonly used in the city than heroin - which accounts for 31% of all Coolmine admissions.

Coolmine outreach coordinator David Marsh said a drop in the price of crack has seen a surge in its use in recent years.

"A lot of the old clients that I would be working with from the last 20 years  who would be [using] methadone and alcohol are now switching to crack because it is much, much cheaper," he said.

"It is not new; It has been around for years but the last year or two it has gotten much cheaper.

"A lot of the homeless are using it because it is cheap but unfortunately you need lots of it."

It comes as Public Health England reported an 18% increase in the number of people being treated solely for crack cocaine addiction in the past year.

The number of people treated for addiction to the drug has risen by 44% in the UK over the past two years.

Crack is a smokable form of cocaine which comes in solid blocks or crystals.

It is viewed as being far more potent - and more addictive - than regular cocaine.

With reporting from Kim Buckley