A record number of over-50s are being treated for cocaine-related mental health issues as middle-class use of the drug spirals.

Startling new statistics reveal hospitals in England treated 7,484 older people last year for problems linked to the Class A drug – up by a quarter in just 12 months.

The figures relate to mental and behavioural problems including psychosis, addiction and the side effects of withdrawal. And they are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg as they do not include cases of cocaine-related heart attacks, strokes and overdoses.

Experts say it reflects a growing trend for people to start using cocaine again in later life following bereavements, loneliness, and life changes such as divorce and job stress. 

The drug is more accessible and cheaper than ever, with concerns it has become a socially acceptable alternative to alcohol at middle-class dinner parties.

Zaheen Ahmed, head of therapy at The UKAT Group, which runs private addiction centres, said the figures were a 'wake-up call', adding: 'Cocaine abuse comes with two major misconceptions; first, that it's just a young person's drug, and, second, that years of use without obvious consequences means you're somehow immune to its effects.

'Many of the over-50s we treat for cocaine addiction aren't lifelong users. They're people who stopped years ago, but later-life experiences such as grief, deteriorating mental health and loneliness have driven them back to the drug. This time, though, they find they can't stop.

'These clients stopped taking cocaine when life demanded it, but now find themselves alone, struggling with their mental health and with the financial means to sustain an expensive habit. 

'The danger is that they're returning to a drug that has strengthened, while their resilience may have diminished. The consequences can be devastating.'

Older users account for more than one in four patients treated for cocaine-related mental and behavioural problems, compared with around one in nine ten years ago. Even pensioners are being caught up in the epidemic, with cases involving the over-60s, so-called 'silver snorters', rising six-fold in a decade to 2,139. 

Figures for those needing treatment in their 50s tripled in ten years.

Across all ages, cocaine-related problems have risen 17 per cent in a year. Among them were 424 episodes of psychosis, up 46 per cent in a single year and a ten-year high.

Deaths from cocaine use have risen for 13 consecutive years in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The National Crime Agency has also warned that bumper South American harvests have pushed prices down and driven up purity, which makes it more cost-effective, but also more addictive.

Councils have been handed £1.1 billion of public health money this year to spend on drug and alcohol treatment.

Mr Ahmed added: 'Addiction doesn't have an age limit, and it's never too late to seek help.'

An NHS spokesman said: 'Cocaine use can seriously affect mental health and behaviour at any age, while people over 50 face a significantly increased risk of heart attack and stroke.'