A journalist has uncovered “rife” cocaine use across a regional daily’s patch after conducting swab tests in busy public buildings.

Connor Stringer, of Brighton daily the Argus, discovered lines of the drug were being snorted from toilet seats and nappy changing stations after investigating lavatories and changing rooms across the city.

Connor used special cocaine wipes that turn blue once in contact with the presence of the drug, which returned positive results in seven of the busiest public toilets in Brighton, to conduct his research.

The investigation is the latest in a series by The Argus looking at the problems caused by drugs across its patch, with a previous exposé of Connor’s prompting the Home Office to pledge action on date rape drugs being sold online.

The Argus splashed on Connor’s findings on Monday

Explaining his latest probe, he told HTFP: “We were continuing our investigation into County Lines drug dealing from a source point of view, looking right down to the human level and the people this affects.

“I was trying to get an understanding of how rife drugs are in the city and most of our fears were confirmed.”

In one case, one of Connor’s swabs discovered traces of cocaine just seconds after cleaning staff had finished wiping down surfaces.

He added: “It’s a very simple idea to execute and can be done quite effectively. These swabs are available online for next-day delivery and you can swab any manner of places with them.

“You don’t know how these things are going to work, but when you actually go and swab the majority of public toilets in Brighton and find this it’s quite shocking and just hammers home the job Sussex Police have on their hands.”

“It was eye-opening, not just for the public but journalists as well.”

Following the investigation, Brighton and Hove City Council told The Argus it could not stop people snorting the drug in public toilets and that it was a “matter for the police”.

Detective Chief Inspector Cath O’Connor, of Sussex Police, said: “The sale and distribution of illegal drugs is something Sussex Police takes extremely seriously and our officers work tirelessly to catch the perpetrators and safeguard those most at risk of harm.”