FIVE police officers were taken to hospital after a suspected dealer showered them with drugs during a raid.

As the team raced into his home the man hurled the white powder - still to be identified - into the air.

One officer was violently sick and others reported having racing heart-rates and light headedness.

North Yorkshire's Acting Assistant Chief Constable Steve Read praised the courage of the five officers who were taken to hospital following the raid in Whitby.

The Misuse of Drugs Act warrant was executed at a flat on the town's Skinner Street at 9.30am on Saturday.

While the officers dealt with a suspect, they breathed in the substance.

The officers were admitted to the Accident and Emergency ward at Whitby Hospital where they received treatment.

All have since been discharged from the hospital and have been given leave from duty to allow them to fully recover.

A/ACC Read, who personally visited the officers immediately after the incident, said: "In a week where a number of stories have shown the Police Service nationally in an adverse light, it is important that the people of the North Yorkshire policing area should be aware of the everyday courage and professionalism exhibited by the police officers who serve and protect them.

"The officers in this case were appropriately trained, briefed and equipped to undertake this operation. But due to the often unforeseeable nature of the tasks that police officers undertake, they were exposed to danger in an entirely unpredictable way.

"Thankfully, the officers responded well to the treatment they received at Whitby Hospital. I am very grateful to the medical staff and I would like to pass on my sincere thanks for their assistance in what could have been a much more serious situation."

* The 25-year-old local man who was arrested in connection with the incident remains in police custody for questioning.