A SALE resident made his on-screen debut, starring in The Railway 24/7, a documentary series going behind the scenes at TransPennine Express.

Matthew Maudsley, 31, a driver for TransPennine Express featured in the fifth episode of the series which aired last week.

With more ‘county lines’ drug gangs using the rail network to transport drugs from big cities to smaller towns, the fifth instalment of the series showed how the British Transport Police and TransPennine Express are working together to combat such drug dealing.

As number plate recognition cameras have become more successful at identifying suspicious cars, more and more drug gangs are turning to using the trains to transport illegal substances.

The episode featured action at the Hull Paragon Interchange, where plain clothed officers from the British Transport Police launched a sting operation to try to catch members of the gangs passing through the station.

They stopped a number of suspects before arresting two men and after a search of their homes police discover a substantial quantity of drugs.

Matthew said: “Taking part in the documentary was a brilliant experience.

“My role as a driver certainly has its twists and turns and I’m looking forward to sharing the ins and outs of my job with viewers. Hopefully it makes for interesting viewing!”

Liz Collins, the interim managing director at TransPennine Express, said: “Working with the British Transport Police, we have cracked down on the number of county lines drug gangs using our network.”

“The safety of our passengers and customers at our stations and on our trains is of the upmost importance to us and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure we do everything within our power to continue to achieve this.”

Det Sup Gareth Williams added: “Since December, British Transport Police has intensified its operations targeting County Lines.

"Our taskforce,which is funded by the Home Office, has been carrying out operations almost daily across the railway network, including the work at Hull Paragon Interchange.

“These operations are designed to tackle the movement of drugs on the railway and safeguard vulnerable children who are often exploited or intimidated by gangs into couriering drugs

"The railway industry has been invaluable in this regard, with train operators training their staff to spot key indicators of criminal exploitation."