NINE men have been arrested and drugs including Ecstasy and heroin seized in dawn raids by police.

Nine homes in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, were raided, along with houses in nearby Craghead, South Shields and the Jesmond area of Newcastle.

The men, in their early 20s and 30s, were arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs and interviewed at Durham City and Chester-le-Street police stations.

Police in the Durham and Chester-le-Street division say it was their biggest day of action against suspected drug dealers in the past 12 months.

Last year, police ran their Rat on a Rat campaign in Chester-le-Street, which encouraged people to report dealers.

Acting Detective Inspector Phil Atess, of Durham City CID, said: "As a direct result of intelligence we have carried out a protracted operation focusing on licensed premises and individuals suspected to have been involved in widespread drug dealing.

"At the conclusion of last year's Rat on a Rat campaign, we promised that our efforts to rid this area of drug suppliers, and the misery they peddle, would continue.

"Taking drugs is a mug's game, with those involved often resorting to crime to support their habit.

"We hope that by removing major drug dealers from the area, and stopping the supply of drugs on the streets, addicts will take the chance to quit and get their lives back."

Fifty Durham and Northumbria force officers - uniformed and plain clothed - took part in the intelligence-led operation, which was planned for six months.

Six of the arrested men are from the Pelton and Pelaw areas of Chester-le-Street, one is from Sacriston, one from Craghead and another from Jesmond.