A ROGUES gallery could soon be available to pub staff in Brighton and Hove in a bid to combat drug abuse.

Posters of known dealers will be distributed to pubs across the town under radical proposals to stamp out the growing problem in the area.

The move was revealed last night as the Government announced an extra £6 million is to be spent nationwide over the next three years on drug awareness initiatives.

Cabinet Office Minister Dr Jack Cunningham told the Commons that resources were being switched from dealing with the consequences of drug abuse to treatment and prevention.

He announced that £3 million seized from drug traffickers would be ploughed back into tackling the problem during 1999-2000.

The East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Drug Action Team is planning the Pub Watch poster campaign to help identify known dealers. It believes the move will cut down on violent drug-related incidents.

The move follows growing concern about drug dealing in the light of a spate of heroin-related deaths in Brighton and Hove.

The poster campaign will feature people convicted of drug offences, and will be distributed to pubs and clubs under tight security.

Pub landlords across Brighton and Hove have welcomed the new initiative.

Asimilar scheme is already running in Eastbourne, where it has been hailed a success.

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