CHILDREN who should be out playing with their friends are heroin addicts at 13 according to Swindon Council's youth drug service.

U-Turn, which is relaunching today, has 36 youngsters on its books, some of whom are in danger of dying from their addiction.

The service helps children from the ages of 10 to 18 who despite their young age are already addicted.

One third of the children on the group's books suffer from heroin addiction, while 43 per cent are hooked on cannabis.

And the U-Turn team stress that the majority of the youngsters use more than one substance.

Manager Esther Schmidt says many are dealing with personal tragedy, which has pushed them into the treacherous hands of dealers.

The team take drastic action to wrench them off heroin immediately.

"We have a clinic where they see a doctor once a week - they get methadone so we can gradually get them off it," she said.

"These young people have complex needs and sometimes no family support - they are injecting drugs and some of the females are sexually exploited.

"If they are injected by adults, it is particularly risky."

Ms Schmidt says the Parks is the area of Swindon where drugs are most readily available.

"Some children grow up in a home where it is normal to take drugs and have no parental support," Ms Schmidt said.

"Drug dealers know how to target vulnerable young people."

The vast majority of clients adhere to a clear classification - white, male and British.

About three quarters of youths with serious addictions are boys, while only 26 per cent are girls.

Ms Schmidt tried to contact some of the young drug addicts yesterday to talk to the Adver, but their chaotic lives meant they were out of reach.

She said: "I've been trying to get children involved in the launch, but it is difficult as phones get broken, lost or sold."

Many of the young people are referred from the Youth Offending Team, which often finds that drug use lies behind criminal activity.

U-Turn say a surprising number of children sign themselves in and turn up for the weekly clinic every Tuesday at the Civic Offices in Euclid Street.

Swindon Council's director of children and families Jean Pollard admitted more teenagers were being treated for drug addiction, but said that did not necessarily reflect a rise in use.

"We have more young people going into treatment but we would see that as positive as we are finding more cases," she said.

"We are talking about very vulnerable children.

"If they have a problem, we want them to come in.

"Before we had a virtual service, but now we are launching a service that is under new management and firmly established.

"All children's services are working closer together to help children at a younger age.

"Early identification of drug problems is key."

She urged teachers, nurses and other professionals who deal with young people to step in if they think a teenager, or younger child, may be using drugs.

"All of these people need to move across the boundaries of their professional discipline and take action."

The council is also keen to reach out to other ethnic groups who are slipping through the system.