Nearly a quarter of a million pounds' worth of drugs were seized by one force in the week-long intensified focus on the form of drug dealing, which involves the transportation of drugs from cities to smaller towns.

Children and vulnerable people are often exploited by criminals higher up in the drugs pyramid to take drugs and sell them to people in other towns for a small cut of the profit, with the term "county lines" referring to the phone lines used to advertise drugs for sale.

Humberside Police seized £240,000 worth of drugs and £9,500 cash in a series of raids last week, while North Yorkshire Police arrested 15 people including a 17-year-old boy.

Picture issued by the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) of a warrant being executed by an undisclosed police force as part of the county lines operation

Some 20 people were also arrested in Humberside, as well as five warrants executed at properties known to be drug dealing and 29 vulnerable people safeguarded or signposted to various agencies for support.

The 15 drugs arrests in North Yorkshire were carried out in the Harrogate, Skipton and Keighley areas, while the same force visited 64 vulnerable people such as victims of cuckooing – a crime where dealers take over a vulnerable person's home to set up a base for drug production, storage or selling..

The operation has been deployed by forces across the country, although West Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Police have not yet disclosed any outcomes.

Nationally, more than 1,000 people were arrested, with 18 guns, more than £500,000 in cash and more than £1 million worth of Class A drugs seized.

£240,000' worth of drugs were seized by Humberside Police

Some 102 “deal lines”, linked to unique phone numbers dialled by users to buy drugs, were shut down, amounting to at least a tenth of the estimated 800 to 1,100 active county lines currently believed to be operating in the UK.

Each line can make about £25,000 a week and police are still unsure where much of the money ends up.

As well as raids and arrest and search warrants, the operation involved increased patrols in county lines hotspots, such as train stations, as well as neighbourhood officers raising awareness in communities.

Humberside's Detective Chief Inspector Iain Pottage said the past week had been a successful attempt at further disrupting drugs chains which exploit children.

Picture issued by the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) of drugs seized by an undisclosed police force as part of the county lines operation

“The week has seen a 100 per cent increase in intelligence being submitted to us to review and build upon," he said.

“It has not only been a week of going after those believed to be involved in organised crime activity, but acting to prevent further offences from being committed. It is important to us that our communities feel safer now and in the future.”

Instances of police action in Humberside involved the arrests of two teenagers aged 18 and 19 seen discarding items as officers approached them on a street in Hull.

The items discovered were a quantity of white wraps thought to be crack cocaine. The pair have been released under investigation.

Police are closing in on county lines gangs

A large cannabis factory was also discovered in Messingham after a warrant was executed at a property on Wendover Road. Cannabis plants with a street value of £235k were seized and three people were arrested.

Humberside's Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter said: “What we have seen over recent years is that the exploitation of people has become the number one commodity for organised crime groups.

"The young people recruited by these groups for their trade in drugs are victims first and foremost, and it is vital that we, as adults, learn how to spot the signs of possible exploitation and know how to raise our concerns."

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Thousands' worth of drugs seized in Yorkshire as ten per cent of country's county lines smashed in one week