The use of cocaine remains rife among City workers in spite of rising unemployment and lower wages following the credit crunch, leading physicians involved in the treatment of drug-abusing professionals have warned.

Neil Brenner, medical director of Priory psychiatric hospital in north London, told the Financial Times that the number of bankers coming to him for treatment had risen significantly over the past three years, even when taking account of a large dip after the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. “I still think this is a real problem in the City,” Dr Brenner said.