Afghanistan is on the brink of becoming a "narcotic state" after producing its largest annual opium crop since the end of Taleban rule, according to a United Nations watchdog report published today.

The report coincides with government figures showing a record number of heroin and cocaine offences in England and Wales in 2003. Ninety per cent of heroin in Britain comes from Afghanistan.

Afghanistan grew an estimated 4,200 tons of opium, the raw material for heroin, in 2004, up 17 per cent on 2003. The record amount grown was 4,600 tons in 1999 before the Taleban regime imposed a total ban in 2001.

Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the UN International Narcotics Control Board, said: "Afghanistan has been deteriorating, with a 17 per cent increase to 4,200 tonnes of heroin. This is a major concern of the board. It is almost a narcotic state."

The total area under production has risen from 80,000 to 130,000 hectares since 2003 and cultivation extends to every district in the country.

Professor Ghodse urged the Government in Afghanistan to take action to eradicate the drug.

He said: "If it is not going to be a narcotic state, which is a risk, then Afghanistan needs to do very urgent action in eradication and alternative development."

The Taleban imposed a zero tolerance approach to drug crops, which led to dramatic falls in Afghanistan's heroin exports. Professor Ghodse said: "The board is asking the international community to help Afghanistan in this. It can't happen in isolation. The Afghanistan Government needs to do something very serious, very quickly."

The board's annual report said that Britain had the largest heroin seizure rate in Europe and the third-highest number of heroin addicts.

Bill Rammell, the Foreign Office Minister, said there was a "comprehensive strategy" in place for combating heroin production in Afghanistan and that the UN report referred to the past.

"There are for the first time some encouraging signs, with reports of lower levels of planting and reports that governors are beginning to eradicate [poppies]," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I think the long-term change that we need will come about. The key thing that needs to happen is cutting off the supply of drugs from the origin."

The report also said that last year's expansion of the European Union from 15 to 25 states may make life easier for drug traffickers by weakening border controls.

"The board is concerned that the enlargement of EU membership may lead to a weakening of existing import or export controls throughout Europe," the report said. "Several member states in the EU are reorganising their Customs services and are significantly reducing their staff.

"The board emphasises that such adjustments should not have any adverse impact on the control of illicit drugs . . . and the capacity to act against drug trafficking."

Mr Rammell said EU enlargement was making the problem easier to tackle because the new members were required to bring their police and border controls up to EU standards. All were participating in Europol and the rapid exchange of intelligence was fundamental to stopping trafficking, he said.

Keith Halliwell, the Government's former drugs tsar, said considerable resources had gone into the borders of the new EU members, but little was being done to stop drugs getting into Europe because of corruption and a lack of commitment by national governments.

He told Today it had always been accepted that heroin production would rise once the Taleban regime was removed. But despite its ability to almost wipe out poppy production, Mr Halliwell said the Northern Alliance, which now made up most of the Afghan government, had continued cultivation and exports via central Asia.

The UN report said Britain also had the highest level of amphetamine use in Europe and the third-highest level of Ecstasy use after Ireland and the Czech Republic. Cocaine use was increasing but had stabilised generally in Europe since 1998.

Figures published by the Home Office yesterday show a 5 per cent overall increase in drug offences in England and Wales in 2003.

The number of drug offences in England and Wales rose to 133,970, the most since 1999.

Class A drug offences (related to heroin, cocaine, crack, LSD and Ecstasy-type drugs) rose by 6 per cent to 35,610. Class B offences (related to cannabis, which has since reclassified as Class C, and amphetamines) rose by 5 per cent to 94,520. Class C offences (anabolic steroids and benzodiazepines) fell by 2 per cent to 1,660.

The number of drug offenders in 2003 rose by 4,000 to 110,400 — the most since 1999.

The United States remained the "world's biggest market for illicit drugs", the UN report said, with 8.2 per cent of the population - more than 25 million people - using such substances.

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