THE first two weeks of a campaign to get drugs off the streets of Darlington has been hailed a success.

But members of the public who have passed information on to police as part of the Rat on a Rat campaign against drug dealers are being urged to have patience if they do not see immediate action.

Darlington police say the campaign has seen calls to Crimestoppers almost double in the first week.

There have been 60 calls to the charity's freephone number, 0800 555111, relating to drugs in Darlington in the fortnight.

People who have information, no matter how little, are being asked to pass it on, because even something seemingly insignificant might be vital to police investigations.

The campaign has included the launch of a website, at www.nettherat.org, as well as posters on the sides of buses and beer mats in pubs.

The initiative is being supported by The Northern Echo.

Karen Grundy, Darlington's prevention co-ordinator for substance misuse, said: "What they may have may be the final piece of the jigsaw. It may be the key to intelligence that may have been building up over the past few months."

She said: "The campaign is going really well. We have had quite a lot of information through nettherat.org and people are certainly coming on board."

Although people may not think their information is being acted upon, because they don't see immediate action, the details will be used, hopefully, to build up a solid case against criminals and secure a conviction.

"Every bit of information they give us is treated with great importance but, as people can appreciate, we need to look at everything," she said.

The website has also attracted attention from local organisations, including schools and colleges, which have asked to link up directly.

The Rat on a Rat initiative was pioneered by the Metropolitan Police, but it also operated last summer in Chester-le-Street.

The Darlington campaign is being funded by the Government's Communities Against Drugs scheme, and is administered by the borough's Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership