Drugs wave spreads fear through ‘UK’s most depressing’ city

SMASHING down a door with a battering ram, cops swarm into a modest red brick home - emerging with £40,000 worth of cannabis. The early morning raid, carried out last week, is the latest effort to fight back against a dangerous drugs trade that is tightening its grip on the pretty cathedral city of Peterborough. Unflatteringly recently voted the “UK’s most depressing” area three times in a row, its proud residents insist they are “insulted” after being shortlisted again for the title in the annual poll by iLiveHere. What is undeniable, however, is their frustration over a tide of lawlessness that has led to rampant shoplifting and wanton drug users lighting and shooting up on the streets. Last year, Peterborough City Council was awarded £1.9million over two years as part of a renewed drive to offer drug and alcohol treatment services. Like countless other areas across the UK, the Cambridgeshire city has been blighted by county lines gangs shifting Class A drugs including heroin and crack cocaine. One despairing resident on a road outside of the city centre tells The Sun they have witnessed screaming addicts taking drugs "until four o’clock in the morning", often brazenly outside their window. Last year, the police announced a major fightback with Operation Tsunami, which targeted drug dealing, exploitation and serious street-based violence in Peterborough. Over the course of a month, 48 people were arrested and 22 charged with 88 drug offences. It resulted in 12 people being jailed for more than 35 years and £250,000 of drugs being taken off the streets. Cambridgeshire Constabulary explained that they had launched the landmark operation last May after a spate of violence in the area. Police said that since April 2020, there has been 28 attempted murders within Peterborough, 14 of which were directly related to drugs and 64 per cent of which used a blade or knife. Read more: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/25458378/peterborough-crime-drugs-most-depressing-city/ The Sun delivers breaking news, latest gossip and incredible exclusives around the world with hubs in London, New York, Scotland and Ireland. Covering topics from news, money and sport along with our famous Fabulous Magazine, The Sun is the biggest news brand in the UK and one of the fastest growing news sites in the US. Stay tuned for video clips across the biggest news stories and segments from The Sun’s expert journalists. Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know. Read The Sun: https://www.thesun.co.uk/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubesitelink Like The Sun on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesun/ Follow The Sun on X: https://twitter.com/TheSun Follow The Sun on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesun Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/The_Sun/1633225139