A MAN has been sent to prison for four years for drugs offences.

Kieran Loveridge, aged 28, of no fixed abode, appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Thursday (May 2).

Loveridge was arrested in August 2016 when drugs, cash and mobile phones were found when a warrant was executed at an address on Foxwalks Avenue, Bromsgrove.

Following an investigation focusing on the use of mobile phones as a tool for operating the supply of controlled drugs, Loveridge was charged in October 2017.

Later that month he appeared before Kidderminster Magistrates' Court, where he pleaded not guilty and the case was sent to Worcester Crown Court for a trial.

During the trial in June 2018, Loveridge entered a guilty plea and was bailed for sentencing later in the year but he failed to appear at the sentencing hearing.

A warrant was issued and Loveridge was located in the early hours of May 2 at an address in Birmingham - and he appeared at Worcester Crown Court later that day for sentencing.

On Thursday, he was hit with a four-year prison sentence for possession of class A drugs (crack cocaine), being concerned in the supply of cocaine and being concerned in the supply of heroin.

Investigating officer PC Danny Somner, from West Mercia Police, said: "As a result of concerns raised by the local community, a number of warrants were carried out by officers at premises in Bromsgrove, under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

"There's no place for serious and organised crime in Bromsgrove and I hope this sentencing sends a message to those involved in county lines that if they are coming into our policing areas, we will take action."

The investigation was part of West Mercia Police's commitment to tackling serious and organised crime as part of the force's Protect campaign.