A MAJOR police operation involving dozens of officers has resulted in the arrest of ten suspected heroin dealers this morning.

Officers carried out a quarter to nine this morning police carried out a co-ordinated series of raids centred on private houses in the Chester-le-Street area of County Durham at 8.45am.

The swoops marked the culmination of Operation Pembroke, which has been planned since February this year.

Around 80 officers were involved, including those trained in "method-of-entry" and search techniques and drug detection dogs.

They targeted addresses in Tuart Street and Fifth Avenue in Chester-le-Street, Windsor Terrace in Great Lumley; Arthur Street in High Handenhold, John Street, in No Place, Butler Road in Newton Aycliffe. And officers from Northumbria Police made an arrest at a house in the Sulgrave area of Washington.

Seven men and four women were taken into custody at Durham city police station where they will be questioned throughout the day. All have been detained on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs with the exception of one of the men, who was arrested for breaching a court order.