A social policy research charity has cautioned against believing the stereotype of drug-dealing areas as run-down, socially fragmented neighbourhoods.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation says that drug gangs also thrive in close-knit communities and contribute to the economic wellbeing of those areas.

An 18-month study led by Professor Mike Hough, director of the criminal policy research unit at South Bank University in London, found that many cohesive communities had “ambivalent” relationships with their illicit economies, with family and friends of drug dealers benefiting directly.

He warned those trying to prevent the spread of illegal drugs that dealers were often not “external predators”.

Researchers interviewed 68 drug dealers, 800 residents and more than 120 professionals from the police and other agencies. They found that children as young as 14 were able to earn more than £450 a week as runners or lookouts for drug dealers. Some of the dealers earned more than £7,500 a week. Half said they accepted stolen goods in payment.

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