The head teacher of a Kent grammar school fears pupils across Thanet are being groomed by drugs gangs moving into the county from London.

Andrew Fowler, the head of Dane Court in Broadstairs, says the school has identified students who are gang members, but says the issue is district-wide.

It is believed they are being forced to be drugs couriers through threats of violence.

In an email to parents today, Mr Fowler said: "We are certainly concerned for the safety of children in the community in Thanet, and about the spread of gangs in the area.

"This is the message we need to get across to everyone, and we all need to work together."

He circulated the email following an article in yesterday's Sunday Times, in which he was quoted as saying police had warned him "there will probably be a fatal child stabbing of a pupil within the next 12 months".

But he distanced himself from the quote, saying: "The newspaper reports said that the police have warned us about a possible stabbing of a student. This is not correct. The police have not warned us about a stabbing.

"It is certainly true that there is a worry in the community in Thanet about gangs. This was the point of the telephone conversation I had with a journalist [from the Sunday Times], over three weeks ago, and this has been the case for over a year now. Some people are concerned that Thanet is only a few years behind London."

He confirmed there are two or three pupils the school is "seriously concerned" about.

Dane Court, an academy rated outstanding by Ofsted inspectors, has 1,200 pupils and is part of a chain of four schools in the Coastal Academies Trust.

The others are in Margate, Birchington and Cliftonville.

Such areas are said to be targeted by London gangs who are flooding neighbourhoods with drugs in the hunt for lucrative new markets.

Gang members recruit youngsters through threats of violence, and often blackmail.

Mr Fowler, 51, reportedly told the Sunday Times that some pupils had been "initiated" into gangs by being persuaded to take part in a violent attack that was filmed on a mobile phone.

This footage was then used to blackmail them into being drugs couriers.

On May 4, an 18-year-old pupil was arrested at Dane Court and expelled on suspicion of dealing ecstasy at school.

Police have told KentOnline the case is still under investigation, but no one has been charged.

Mr Fowler said: "In common with every other secondary school in Thanet, we are saying that we are concerned about our students, but this is not about grammar schools in particular, and there has been no specific threat.

"A year ago, we were one of the first schools in Thanet to let parents know about our concerns about children’s safety.

"We invited all parents into school for a very well-attended meeting with community and youth leaders in July 2017.

"I'm glad to say that, in the last 12 months, there have been some very positive developments. These have brought together the various secondary schools, the police and other organisations and have led to more initiatives to keep all our children safe.

"You may know that at Dane Court we've talked frequently to our students about keeping safe, and we've made sure that staff are always visible and out on duty, so that students can talk to them if they have any concerns. I repeat that there has been no direct threat.

"We are certainly concerned for the safety of children in the community in Thanet, and about the spread of gangs in the area. This is the message we need to get across to everyone, and we all need to work together.

Superintendent Amanda Tillotson said: "Safeguarding children is a priority for Kent Police and we work closely with partner agencies including Thanet District Council, Kent County Council and local schools to prevent children becoming involved in organised crime.

"Our current policing model puts vulnerable children at its very centre and we have teams of specialist officers who work alongside our partners. This partnership work has enabled us to put in place effective systems that identity those vulnerable to exploitation and intervene before they come to harm.

"This work has made it more difficult for gangs to establish themselves in the area.

"We also have officers who specialise in targeting organised criminals and they will fully investigate all intelligence received on organised crime in Thanet before using the full force of our powers to bring offenders to justice."