Two "major" arrests for drug offences have been made in Maldon since December, a meeting of Maldon Town Council was told last night (Monday, 31 January).

PC Stephen Gunshon, a member of the Chelmsford and Maldon local policing team, said the arrests had been made for possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

In his update to the town council, PC Gunshon said December and January had been "one of the busiest periods that Essex Police has seen in quite a long time".

In Maldon and Heybridge, he said, officers have been "concentrating on quite a lot of drug-related issues".

Councillor Stephen Nunn said: "It's really worrying about the level of drug issues, but good they're being detected - I just hope it's not the tip of the iceberg."

Councillor Flo Shaughnessy suggested officers liaise further with schools to educate more children about county lines.

She asked whether the force could give talks to primary schoolchildren in year 6, which PC Gunshon said he would raise with officers.

Antisocial behaviour in Maldon was also the focus of the officer's update.

He said there had been "a few violent incidents on the high street" involving pubs, which are being investigated by the force's licensing department.

Councillor Mark Heard, chairman of the district council, called the level of antisocial incidents a "concern" and asked whether extra patrols could be carried out in the town by officers.

PC Gunshon said he would look into this.

He also said officers had seized five vehicles in the December to January period.