EAST Cowes residents have been praised for information they provided to police, leading to the jailing of a local drug dealer.

As exclusively reported by the County Press this morning, Brandon Atkins was jailed at the Isle of Wight Crown Court for four years, on Wednesday.

Read about the case here

Today, PC Mat Rumsey said: “Drug dealing causes misery to our communities and is often linked to serious harm and the exploitation on children.

“This was a serious case in which Atkins sold drugs to a child. Atkins was swiftly brought before the courts and I am pleased that he has now been given a prison sentence for his actions.

“I am very grateful to the East Cowes community who provided us with the invaluable information about issues in their area that assisted us with our investigation into Atkins.

“We encourage anyone who has information about drug dealing to please report this to us.

"Every small piece of information you provide helps us build up a bigger picture of the problem so we can take action and target the dealers responsible.”

Police would like to hear from anyone who believes drug-related activity is taking place in their local area.

Call 101 or make a report anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.