Avon and Somerset Police have continued their crackdown on drug county lines by arresting six people after they 'cuckooed' a house in Weston-Super-Mare.

Cuckooing is the term used when drug dealers use violence and intimidation to take over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base for drug dealing.

It is often associated with ‘county lines’, where gangs and organised criminal networks from big cities use mobile phone lines or another form or ‘deal line’ to establish drugs supply chains in smaller towns.

Two 18-year-old men, an 18-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man from Birmingham were arrested, along with a 28-year-old man and 36-year-old man from Weston, at the address in Bristol Lower-Road, all on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Police revealed they also seized a large amount of cash, scales, phones and a quantity of suspected Class A drugs.

All six people arrested have been released under investigation.

Neighbourhood Sergeant for Weston-super-Mare, Lee Kerslake said: “We all know drugs have a negative impact on our communities, with anti-social behaviour and other crimes such as theft and burglary committed by users looking to fund their habits.

“But what we are seeing with county lines, is the targeting of young people and vulnerable adults by ruthless drug dealers who don’t care who they exploit or hurt. The challenge of dismantling these Lines is a very real and complex one, not just for law enforcement, but for safeguarding, health and educational professionals as well."

This came just weeks after Avon and Somerset Police visited hundreds of addresses across the area, including houses in Yate, Sodbury and Thornbury.