Weymouth and Portland Police have released some statistics detailing the progress being made with tackling the scourge of county lines drug dealing in Dorset.

County lines is a term used to describe urban gangs supplying drugs to other parts of the UK using dedicated mobile phone lines.

Since August 8 last year, a small team of local officers have been targeting class A drug dealing across West Dorset.

In that period the team have seized drugs with a street value of more than £100,000 along with more than £24,000 in cash.

29 weapons have been seized. This included combat knives, crossbows, and containers of noxious fluids, such as ammonia.

78 people have been arrested, 48 per cent of whom were from outside of Dorset, suspected of working for county lines networks. The remaining 52 per cent were predominantly local users who were suspected of dealing on behalf of county lines.

More than 30 addresses have had their risk reduced with more people who are homeless, sofa surfing or in temporary accommodation being subject to positive intervention. This can come in the form of direct referrals to support agencies or protection from county lines gangs seeking to cause them harm.