Over £1.7million of cash has been seized and 29 people arrested during a week-long sting against county lines drug traders in Warwickshire.

'Operation Bracebridge' saw six county lines disrupted in Warwickshire during a national police initiative against county lines drug trafficking.

During the week police raided two separate cannabis farms with a combined total of over 900 plants (estimated street value of £379,000) recovered.

Nearly £380,000 of crack/cocaine was seized as well as 98 wraps of heroin with an estimated street value of £4,900.

Class A drugs are sold by urban gangs into smaller areas in county lines by setting up phone networks.

Vulnerable people including children are often used by gangs to traffic the drugs for them.

Of those arrested in Warwickshire between March 7 and 13, the majority were adult men.

Warwickshire Police also said four safeguarding referrals had been made for children aged 15-18 years old as well as one adult referral.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Reader, Proactive CID, said: "County Lines is a priority area for Warwickshire Police and we are unified and resolute in our determination to tackle this form of organised criminality.

"The intensification week has been successful in causing significant disruption to lines operating in the county and in generating intelligence that will be used to protect our communities and bring offenders to justice.

"The technical abilities available to police, and knowledge that has been gathered, mean County Lines are no longer a low risk and high reward enterprise.

"We will continue with our proactive, robust and joined up approach to ensure that Warwickshire remains a hostile environment to these criminal gangs who inflict so much misery to individuals, families and communities through drug dealing, violence and exploitation.

"We cannot stop this criminality alone and we are grateful to our partners and the safeguarding groups and charities that are a vital tool in the fight against county lines. Members of the public also play a critical role in spotting signs of exploitation and reporting them to the police."