Police watchdog into how our forces deal with county lines is more critical than I expected, writes Allegra Stratton.

Why 2020 needs to be a year of significant improvement in tackling County Lines

Latest analysis suggests there are more than 2,000 individual deal line phone numbers in the UK, linked to around 1,000 county lines.

Call over pay-as-you-go phones in bid to tackle county lines drug gangs

More than £310,000 in cash was seized during the week-long operation involving 20 police forces.

It comes after a report estimates 27,000 children could be members of a gang in England.

Young people are preyed on by "ruthless" criminal enterprises as their "profile" means they are less likely to be known to police.

In this new series, ITV News correspondents take you behind the scenes and reveal the story behind getting big stories on the air.

The number of lines has risen from 720 to around 2,000, according to the annual National Crime Agency (NCA) assessment of county lines.

A group of parents whose children were groomed into running drugs for gangs have spoken out in a bid to lift the lid on county lines.

The practice, known as county lines, involves gangs using children as young as 10 to carry and sell drugs across borders and boroughs.

County lines crime is to be targeted in a new scheme designed to steer young people and children away from exploitative gangs.

The "county lines" crisis is escalating with police forces across the country witnessing a worrying upturn in extreme violence.

Matthew Norford, a reformed former gang member, reveals how he would lure young children into the drugs trade.

Fresh analysis has revealed that dealers supplying heroin and crack cocaine use at least 720 so-called county line.

Criminal gangs are targeting children and teenagers from middle-class families to sell drugs, a parliamentary report claims.

Hannah has been in a three year fight to pull her son - Thomas - out of the lure of a drug gang. 