The number of people using cocaine in England and Wales rose last year, although fewer people used cannabis, the latest figures show.

The data from the NHS Information Centre, published this week, are set against an overall decline in drug misuse over recent years.

The figures show that in 2006-7 2.6% of adults reported taking cocaine, an estimated 835 000 people. This is an increase of 0.2% from the previous year and a 2% rise since 1996.

However, the use of cannabis continues to fall. It reached a peak in 2002, when 10.9% of adults reported taking it. Last year 8.2% of the population, an estimated 2.6 million people, reported taking cannabis, down from 8.7% the previous year.

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