County lines: More than 200 suspects arrested in drugs raids across UK

More than 200 suspects have been arrested by dozens of police forces in a national crackdown on "county lines" drugs gangs.

Some 58 vulnerable people, including children, who had been caught up in the gangs were also rescued, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Officers found tens of thousands of pounds in cash and drugs including heroin and crack cocaine.

A loaded gun, an axe, a meat cleaver, hunting knives and a samurai sword were among the weapons recovered during the week-long operation.

There are an estimated 1,500 "county lines" gangs operating across the UK.

County lines refers to organised gangs extending their drug dealing network from big cities to other areas.

The gangs commonly use one phone line that drug users call to order illegal substances, which make up to £5,000 per day.

Inside the gangs, urban dealers force children to carry drugs to customers in more rural areas and "cuckoo" the homes of vulnerable or drug-addicted people to use to stash illegal substances.

Sue Southern, county lines lead for the NCA, said: "Supply gangs are responsible for high levels of violence and the exploitation and abuse of vulnerable adults and children, and every territorial police force in England and Wales has now reported some level of county lines activity.

Some of those arrested were criminals already serving prison sentences who were charged with involvement in the supply of class A drugs from behind bars.

The new national county lines co-ordination centre, set up in September, is mapping the activities of the gangs, which are mainly based in large cities such as London, Liverpool and Birmingham, but operate all over the country.

Ms Southern said: "There are currently hundreds of live county lines investigations across the UK, and this period of intensification highlights the range of co-ordinated activity taking place to identify perpetrators, reduce violence, take away the proceeds of crime and safeguard the vulnerable.

"While these operations will have substantially disrupted numerous county lines, our work is ongoing and we are pursuing all available means of strengthening the national response," she added."