FIVE men have been arrested and £20,000 worth of cannabis recovered in police raids on south Durham homes.

Officers from Spennymoor and Newton Aycliffe carried out raids as part of Operation Doors, which targeted vehicle crime and house burglaries in the Sedgefield division.

Yesterday, a swoop on a home in Brancepeth uncovered £100,000 worth of stolen property, mostly Black and Decker equipment thought to have been taken from a factory. About £15,000 in cash was also recovered.

A man in his fifties is being questioned by police.

Police found 36 nine ounce bars of cannabis at a house in West Cornforth on Wednesday.

A man in his thirties was in custody yesterday and is to appear before magistrates at Newton Aycliffe today.

Five handbags recovered from a house in Ferryhill are believed to have been stolen from elderly women in County Durham. Two men were helping police with their inquiries yesterday.

Other property recovered, including some from homes in Spennymoor, is still being assessed. Two other men have been released on police bail while investigations continue.

Detective Sergeant Paul Roe said: "It was a very successful operation, helped by good quality intelligence."

Two years ago, Spennymoor police recovered a similar haul of stolen goods in raids on homes in West Cornforth. A treasure trove of £10,000 worth of items were uncovered, including fittings stripped from a pub including bar stools, a fire place, gaming machine and snooker cues.

* Dale Easter, aged 39, from Howlish View, Leeholme, near Bishop Auckland, appeared before Sedgefield magistrates sitting at Newton Aycliffe yesterday charged with attempted burglary and breaching bail conditions imposed in connection with two previous burglary charges.

He was remanded in custody to appear at the same court on September 11.