The prevalence of the Class A drug has been linked to a rise in drug-related deaths in the Kingdom, and has led to consistent increases in the number of seizures by Fife Police.

And - despite its image as a drug used only by stereotyped junkies - heroin can now be found in almost every Fife community, according to a leading substance misuse agency.

Detective Inspector Neil Kerr, head of Fife Police drugs squad, said: "It's fair to say that heroin has become more affordable and available all over the country now. All the evidence points to that.

"The impact in Fife has been the same as everywhere else - an increase in deaths and more seizures."

Since April last year, the drugs squad has seized almost £430,000 worth of heroin, however, despite an increase in seizures, supplies are quickly restored.

Det Insp Kerr said more drugs had flooded onto the streets as a result of a bumper harvest in Afghanistan, the world's largest heroin producer, two years ago.

He added: "We are now seeing the consequences of this filter through in Britain."

A report into drug deaths in Fife since 2005, published by the Fife Drug and Alcohol Action Team earlier this month, revealed a police test purchase operation had found the weight of a tenner bag of heroin had almost doubled during that period.

During the same period Fife has seen a year-on-year increase in drug-related deaths, rising from 15 in 2005 to 20 in 2007.

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