THE Barrow and Furness MP has met with government ministers in a bid to tackle cross-county drug dealing.

John Woodcock has made it his mission to deal with the problem after Barrow experienced 12 drug deaths, more than twice the national average number, since last December.

The Independent MP took the fight to the heart of Westminster when he held a seminar in parliament with policing minster Nick Hurd, Labour Counterpart Nick Thomas-Symond and Detective Chief Superintendent Dean Holden of Cumbria police.

Mr Woodcock said he was “pleased” with how the meeting went.

He said: “There is no silver bullet in combating this problem.

“But I am pleased to have brought people together to recognise the need for action on this issue which affects many parts of the community in Barrow.”

Drug deaths have spiked in Barrow in the last year with four of the 12 deaths occurring at Barrow Island’s Egerton Court, where a new welfare hub will soon be housed.

The problems in the area made national headlines, with some residents saying the town had been unfairly maligned.

Mr Woodcock, a former Labour MP, has called for a single police force to be formed to combat the spread of drug dealing by gangs across the country, known as “county lines”.

Counter terror is currently the only area of law enforcement where police officers from one force - the Metropolitan Police - are given responsibility to coordinate action across the country.

David Higham, the chief executive of The Well Communities, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation charity in Barrow, said his team were trying to fight back against the increase in drug deaths.

He said: “We are trying to tackle this problem head on.

“We have a number of ways we are trying to go about and are working with multiple agencies.

“It not just about one area such as policing, it is about a wide approach, including education.”