DRUG dealers in Vale Royal have been warned there will be nowhere for them to hide following the success of Operation Clean Sweep.

That is the opinion of Det Insp Andy Southcott who is already in the process of capitalising on the progress made in the battle against pushers.

He said: "I can't say too much at this stage for security reasons but the operation we are planning this year will really impact on the drug scene. It will make it impossible to deal drugs in Vale Royal.

"I think that is what the public expects because this is not an inner city area and we will not tolerate it."

Det Insp Southcott is, however, remaining realistic about the current drug situation.

He said: "We know there are still dealers out there but we have taken out the core dealers. There has already been a significant reduction in acquisitive crime such as burglary and car crime. Operation Clean Sweep would be pointless if we didn't keep going with it because things would eventually return to how they were."

Det Insp Southcott first identified that there was an open drugs market in January 2003 and proceeded to find funding for Operation Clean Sweep, which came from the Vale Royal Safety partnership.

The evidence-gathering phase started in June 2003. A highly-trained undercover officer infiltrated the drugs network and gained the trust of members of the group, providing Det Insp Southcott with the intelligence he needed.

This information led to dawn raids in October last year and the subsequent conviction of 17 people in Chester Crown Court earlier this month.

The fight against drugs is ongoing and the message Det Insp Southcott wants to send out to dealers is clear: "There is no place for you in Vale Royal."

phennessey@guardiangrp.co.uk