'I thought my dealer was doing me a favour... then he started bringing his mates around'

It started with her dealer offering to pop round with drugs as a favour while she was struggling to get out and about.

Within weeks, her home had been taken over, and she was too scared to move from a sofa in her front room.

Samantha* was a self-described 'payday junkie' - a former health worker from Greater Manchester who was an occasional user of crack cocaine and heroin, but still 'paid the bills'.

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A change in her family life meant Samantha found herself at home more often, and, due to blood clots, she sometimes struggled with her walking and breathing.

It was at this point her drug dealer made her an offer. The chain of events that followed left Samantha fearing she would lose everything.

"He'd say 'it's alright, I'll come round to yours'," Samantha says.

"Me being gullible, I was thinking 'yeah he's being really helpful, that's really nice of him to do that'.

"You obviously don't see it when you're in it."

As a woman in her 40s, Samantha became a victim of cuckooing, where vulnerable people's homes are invaded by criminals for purposes like taking drugs, storing drugs or storing weapons.

Her life spiralled into weeks of terror and despair as she became a prisoner in her own home.

Now, having been supported by police and moved away from Greater Manchester, she is bravely sharing her story with the Manchester Evening News to raise awareness of the issue and help others in a similar situation.

Samantha hadn't been using drugs every day, but her habit became more of a problem after her dealer offered to make home deliveries - setting her up for his 'cuckooing' trap.

"The first couple of times