Recovering drug and alcohol addicts have warned that turning to crime could soon be the easiest route for some users to get help.

They claim addicts in Oxford will get a raw deal under a shake-up to the provision of drugs services which will see a drop-in centre at the Cranstoun Libra drug advice and treatment service, in Cowley Road, close at the end of the year, and people in non-residential rehabilitation with the service having to travel daily to Banbury.

However, Oxfordshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team said the shake-up followed a comprehensive review of services and reflected what the vast majority of users were calling for.

The Libra drop-in centre, run by independent charity Cranstoun Drug Services, offers users somewhere to go three afternoons a week where they can seek counselling, acupuncture and other services in a supportive atmosphere, and speak to people in a similar situation.

Michael Salisbury, 34, of The Slade, Headington, recovering from drug and alcohol use, said: "It's open access and the atmosphere is great.

"It's a gateway to other services. A lot of people don't want to go to their GP.

"I'm on the road to recovery, but it leaves other people with nothing unless they are introduced to the criminal justice system.

"That seems to me the only way long-term you are going to be able to access any services at all. It has become no longer a health concern, it's a criminal justice issue."

Recovering alcoholic Stephen Brooks, 57, of east Oxford, said the "life-saving" drop-in centre should be open every day, rather than facing closure.

"It's like having a crutch pulled from you. Three times a week it's comforting to know you can go there and people will understand how you are feeling," he said.

An abstinence-based programme will start in Oxford next year, which will not tolerate drug use, apart from prescribed medication.

Kurt Moxley, director of the action team, said police, the Probation Service, and courts had called for the programme, and the majority of addicts were also happy. There would be sufficient places for those not referred by police or courts, he said.

At present, just six people are on a 12-week non-residential rehabilitation course run by Cranstoun Libra.

From next year, 80 to 90 places will be available for non-residential treatment -- 55 on abstinence-based courses, and about 30 with Cranstoun Libra in Banbury.

Outreach workers will also be working in the city to help addicts find treatment.