Surrey Police has urged residents to watch out for county lines in a bid to crack down on dangerous drug networks.

Police said they are tackling the use of drugs networks exploiting children as young as 12 and using them as drug runners in Surrey.

Children are recruited by older individuals with offers of large sums of cash, mobile phones, drugs and alcohol and threatened with the fear of violence if they try to leave.

Officers are proactively deterring criminals travelling from outside the county under Operation Viking to disrupt cross county border drug dealing and associated violence across east Surrey.

So far the team have secured more than 184 years’ custodial sentences for all convictions under this initiative.

Detective Superintendent Kerry Haddleton said: “By buying drugs the user is funding serious and organised crime, with children are often being exploited and forced to transport and deal drugs. If you don’t think your use of drugs is having a wider effect, think again.

“I would like the public to be assured that we will continue to work with our partners and neighbouring forces, to tackle these issues proactively and robustly with an aim to disrupt and dismantle the supply of drugs in Surrey.

“However, we can’t do this without the help of the public so I am asking you to help and come to us with tangible information on drug dealing in your area. If you have real concerns then call us on 101 or report anonymously via Crimestoppers.”

PCC David Munro said: “The threat posed by these organised gangs running county lines operations is spreading across the country and we are not immune here in Surrey.

“My office is working closely with Surrey Police to provide any help we can to those policing teams focused on targeting the activities of drug dealers.

“But we also need the public to help by being our eyes and ears and providing any information that can assist police in disrupting this criminality.”

If you have information about suspected drug dealing or crime in your area, contact Surrey Police via www.surrey.police.uk or by calling 101.