The terror map of Britain: Soaring number of arrests and trials reveal how ISIS and Syrian war are inspiring extremists in the UK

The impact of ISIS extremism in Syria is now being felt across the UK, maps charting the soaring number of terror arrests and convictions reveal. The almost weekly raids now being carried out by anti-terror police are taking place throughout Britain; from the eastern port of Dover to the western town of Hayle in Cornwall, and from Portsmouth on the south coast to Manchester and Bolton in the North.

Whether it is stopping would-be jihadis from travelling to the Middle East, foiling planned plots when they return or disrupting their funding networks, the conflict in Syria has spawned a huge range of crimes for British authorities to deal with.

A map charting the location of arrests made in response to the threat from Syria-linked extremism shows it is not an issue confined to big cities. As well as raids in London, Birmingham and Manchester, suspects have been detained in towns around the Home Counties, Wales and the Midlands.

Gathering evidence against foreign combatants poses extra challenges for the CPS, with lawyers often struggling to get reliable evidence from warzones or hostile authorities abroad.

But Deborah Walsh, Deputy Head of Counter-Terrorism at the CPS, told MailOnline the service is gathering expertise in how to prosecute returning militants.

She said: ‘Whilst prosecuting acts undertaken in countries such as Syria always brings new and unique challenges, the existing success of our specialist prosecutors in securing convictions for offences committed abroad – for example in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and more recently in Syria itself – demonstrates that we are ready and able to take these challenges on. We work with police from an early stage in the investigation to ensure that wherever possible, international borders and areas of conflict are not a barrier to justice.’