Drug seizures increased by seven per cent last year, recent figures reveal.

Wiltshire Police officers carried out 1,624 drug seizures in 2019/20 compared to 1,514 the previous year. A rise of seven per cent.

In Wiltshire, cannabis was the substance most commonly confiscated by officers, making up 74 per cent of all seizures where the drug type was known.

This is followed by cocaine busts which made up 12 per cent and unspecified class A drugs at 11 per cent.

Across England and Wales, the number of drug seizures increased for a second year running, reversing the steady fall seen since 2011/12.

Police and border forces recorded 183,000 seizures, a 20 per cent rise compared to 2018/19.

Wiltshire Police have credited much of this increase to the founding of the new Fortitude unit.

This branch of the force was created specifically to target the most serious offenders in Wiltshire.

Detective superintendent Steve Kirby, who heads up Fortitude said: “Wiltshire is a beautiful county but we are not immune to the ongoing problems bought by criminal drugs gangs to our area.

“We have been strongly focused on tackling drug dealing across Swindon and Wiltshire for some time – the launch of our Fortitude unit earlier this year has resulted in the proactive targeting of the most serious offenders: dismantling and disrupting the drugs supply within the county at the same time.

“With this increased focus, we will always see an increase in seizures of illicit drugs, but we are determined to take a robust approach to policing all types of drug criminality and show these criminals that Wiltshire isn’t a soft target.”