A new proposal for a safer drug consumption room in Glasgow is to be submitted to the Lord Advocate.

Angela Constance, Minister for Drug Policy, announced the new plan which could see the first of its kind opened in the UK.

The proposal will be submitted to Dorothy Bain, who took over as Lord Advocate last year.

After her appointment she said she could consider a new precise and specific proposal.

READ MORE: 'Appalling' almost 190 suspected drug deaths Glasgow in six months

The plan would allow people to take their own, illegal drugs, to a supervised centre where they can inject in safer conditions.

They would have clean equipment and clean surroundings to reduce the risk of infection and would be supervised to reduce the risk of overdose.

They would also be offered access to health, and other, services to help them off drugs in the longer term.

Previous attempts have been blocked, firstly by the Home Office, but also because the previous Lord Advocate, James Wolffe, said it couldn’t be approved under current drugs law.

The UK Home Office has consistently said it would not approve any facility on the grounds it would condone illegal drug use.

While Mr Wolffe, who when in position, previously said there would need to be a change in the law for drug consumption rooms to operate, the Crown Office says it is now looking to work within the “current legal framework”.

Angela Constance said the government was pushing ahead with a new plan.

She said: “We are moving forward with our commitment to establish a safer drugs consumption room to operate within the current legal framework.

READ MORE: Appeal over restaurant refusal for old bank building in Duke Street

“A new service proposal in Glasgow has been provided and we are continuing to work closely with the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership, Police and Crown Office to ensure we have a sustainable approach which is clinically and legally safe for staff and those using it.

“We are serious about this commitment as we know these facilities have a strong evidence base for saving lives and helping

“Some of our most vulnerable citizens. A fresh proposal will be made to the Lord Advocate once further detail on operation and policing is developed.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “We are contributing appropriately to the development of proposals for a SDCF to operate within current legal frameworks.”

The council and health board has been working to develop a facility in the city for years with a site already identified.

Councillor Mhairi Hunter, chair of the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership, said:  said: “This is a welcome step forward in the shared agenda to reduce drugs-related deaths in Scotland.

“Drug-related deaths are a public health emergency and those with lived experience of addiction; clinical and care professionals and politicians are all agreed that this sort of facility can play a key role in reducing harm.

“Glasgow has publicly expressed its willingness and readiness to locate a Safer Drugs Consumption Room within the city. Considerable work has been undertaken at a local level around the operation of consumption room and we’ll continue to engage and consult to ensure that if this proposal is progressed, all arrangements are in place for a safe and successful service.

“A Safer Drugs Consumption Room is not a panacea to drugs deaths. But it does save lives, is part of more extensive treatment and care services and is a route to directing more people into treatment and recovery.”