ANTI-DRUGS campaigner Mary Brett has defended her comments about rocketing child drug abuse after a survey she referred to was called into question.

Ms Brett, head of health education at Dr Challoners' Grammar School, Amersham, attacked the "malign influence" of drug culture in an article for the Daily Mail.

In the report, dated May 1, Ms Brett referred to "an authoritative" survey which claimed 400,000 children under 16 were regular drug users.

But in an report this week, The Independent questioned the validity of the survey and revealed that Trading Standards were looking into the company behind the study.

The company which published the shock report is Adolescent Assessment Services (AAS) headed by Jeremy Gluck, a part-time lecturer at the University of Swansea and former punk rocker.

The Independent claimed Mr Gluck's Swansea home doubled as the AAS headquarters and questioned how a such a seemingly small firm can boast to have surveyed 100,000 young people.

However, Ms Brett told the Free Press her staunch anti-drugs comments remain unchanged.

"It doesn't bother me because I would have said exactly what I've said anyway in the Mail article.

"It gave me an opportunity to say what I have said for a while. I cannot comment on the validity of it [the survey] at all because I've got no means of investigating it.

"I would have said this on any level of drug use. It still stands."

She added: "Maybe [drug taking] levels aren't going up but it's still too high. Any drug usage is too high."

John Spence, director of Trading Standards for Swansea, confirmed AAS was being looked into but could not disclose why.

He said: "We are looking at a couple of issues that have been referred to us. If there are any issues that require further action then we will take it."

Mr Gluck, who Ms Brett admitted she had never heard of, told the Free Press: "They (the figures) are completely sound and it has not actually been proved otherwise. Those stories are unfounded."