Detectives have brought down 20 drug dealers in west Kent in the past year, as they step up efforts to crack down on so-called ‘county lines’ crime.

In recent years, criminals from the capital having increasingly targeted towns and villages in the Home Counties as a way of spreading their networks.

They do so by forcing vulnerable young people to shift the substances, with Kent county councillors warning children as young as five are becoming “lawless” and targeted by gangs.

Furthermore, authorities are growing concerned by the rise in ‘cuckooing’, which is where dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base for their activities.

DI Neil Kimber from Kent Police said: “The organised supply of heroin and crack cocaine is a national issue and the increased prevalence of county lines drug-dealing and the associated violence it brings is not unique to Kent.

“We’re dedicated to removing county line networks in order to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable people and the significant harm these offences cause to our communities.”

Maidstone Borough Council updated its Community Safety Partnership Plan earlier this year to reflect the growing threat.

Its report describes the County Town as a target for organised crime groups from London, and warns that through county lines deals, victims are often made to feel indebted to the gang, and are then exploited further to carry out illegal activities.

Town centre bosses meet regularly to share intelligence and plan how to disrupt their behaviour. The council plan includes educating teenagers in secondary schools and young people’s supported accommodation on the risks of joining gangs.

Despite having officers dedicated to dismantling the drugs supply into the county, DI Kimber said help from the public remained vital.

“By continuing to work together we not only ensure Kent remains a safe place to live but we are getting the message through to criminals that there is no hiding place from the law, he said.

“Across West division this has led to 20 people being convicted for drug supply in the past year totalling just short of 55 years behind bars.”