POLICE in Worcester continue to take the fight to 'County Lines' drug dealers who come from elsewhere set up shop in our city.

Yesterday, Neil Hyatt from Liverpool was jailed for five-and-a-half years after police shut down his 'Scouse' line heroin and crack cocaine operation in Diglis.

This was another victory for our police, who have a specialist taskforce, Operation Blade, to crackdown on County Lines dealers from Liverpool and other big cities who target Worcestershire.

West Mercia Police identified County Lines dealing as a growing issue in Worcestershire a couple of years back and have set about destroying drugs ring after drugs ring since then, with Neil Hyatt the latest to find himself behind bars.

County Lines dealers prey on vulnerable addicts who have so often been driven to abuse by past trauma and the consequent mental health issues. These dealers force the addicts to let them to use their home to sell drugs, effectively enslaving them.

That's just one of the many reasons why the work police are doing to tackle County Lines dealing is so important.