Lincolnshire Police have rescued 44 young people involved in drug dealing over the past five years, including five 14-year-olds.

County Lines refers to the transportation of illegal drugs across police and local authority boundaries by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.

Figures released through a Freedom of Information request to the force show how numbers have spiked in Lincolnshire in recent years, from just three children in 2019 to 19 in 2022.

The majority were in their late teens, with 19 of those safeguarded being the age of 18. A total of 14 were 16 or under.

Of those rescued, 36 were males and eight were females.

Most appear to be working as runners/dealers, though a couple were drivers.

Two were young people who had been reported missing at the time they were safeguarded and a further 14 had unknown roles in the drugs operations.

Inspector Gail Hurley said: "The exploitation of young and vulnerable people within our communities by drug dealers who are only interested in making money for themselves is abhorrent, and it ruins lives. This is what County Lines is.

"Our commitment to the public is to protect them from harm, help those in need, and stop crime and associated anti-social behaviour, so tackling County Lines activity in Lincolnshire is something we work on every day.

"We work closely with other forces across the region, as well as partners such as local authorities, charities and health services, and our local communities."

She added that community intelligence was a "huge part" of the force's success in targeting criminals.

The force has encouraged people to read #LookCloser guidance to get a better understanding of what to take note of and asked anyone with information to contact officers with information.