The number of people attending the drug detox centre has fluctuated between 1,085 and 1,162 over the past five years, a spokesman for the Foundation of Social Welfare Services said. Last year 1,135 attended the service compared to 1,160 in 2011 and 1,162 the previous year.

Last month support agency Sedqa, which falls under the foundation, said that the detox centre had about 750 visits every day.

The centre, located within St Luke’s Hospital, offers services to people experiencing substance abuse in general but mainly those who have a heroin abuse problem.

The spokesman said that the number of daily visitors remained fairly constant due to the long-term nature of methadone treatment, so the same people visited the centre for a long period of time.

According to the most recent annual report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, in 2011, the majority, 78.7 per cent, of all people in drug rehabilitation in Malta had a heroin addiction problem.

Figures showed that 12.5 per cent had a cocaine problem while 6.7 per cent reported that cannabis was their primary drug.