Video shows moment Lancashire Police put doors through in Blackpool and Preston drugs raids

Lancashire Police swooped on six homes in Preston, Blackpool, Accrington and Nelson as the force targeted those suspected of being involved in the supply of illegal drugs.

Four people – two women and a man from Preston, and a man from Blackpool – were arrested and officers seized suspected Class A and Class B drugs, hunting knives, pepper spray and quantities of cash.

The raids on Wednesday (August 31) were part of Op Vanquish, a major countywide operation that has seen police crack down on crime across Lancashire.

You can watch footage from one of the Blackpool raids – which took place in Lonsdale Road, near Bloomfield Road stadium – in our video player.

Arrests

- A 28-year-old man from Blackpool was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class A drug and possession of an offensive weapon. Quantities of powder, cannabis, knives and mobile phones were seized from the property.

- A 34-year-old man from Preston was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug and possession of a firearm.

- A 38-year-old woman from Preston was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug and possession of a firearm.

- A 52-year-old woman from Preston was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class a drug and possession of a firearm.

“In Lancashire, there is nowhere to hide”, warn police

Supt Chris Hardy, lead of Op Vanquish, said: “Every day of the week, work is ongoing to disrupt drug supply and those who are involved in drugs and associated criminality across our county.

“The message is clear: if you are involved in criminality in Lancashire, there is nowhere to hide.

"Operation Vanquish works to disrupt and take positive action against those who circulate drugs within our communities.

“A huge thank you to the community who provide us with intelligence and ongoing support.

"We will continue to listen to you and work together to keep Lancashire a safe place to live, work and visit.”

More doors put through, more arrests and more offenders behind bars

Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said: "Operation Vanquish is my Fighting Crime Plan in action - focussing the police’s resources on targeting criminals that operate across Lancashire.

"It’s so important to get out in the front line as much as I can, seeing officers and staff taking the fight to criminals and talking about how we can do even more.

"The intelligence that comes into the police from members of the public often leads to more doors being put through, more arrests and more offenders behind bars, and is so often crucial, with officers working around the clock to make the county as safe as possible, sometimes unseen, investigating to ensure criminals are brought to justice.

"As I lead the fight against crime, we're focusing on delivering what we all want to see our police force doing – fighting crime and protecting people.

"I’m determined to reduce the number of victims of crime by giving the police the resources and support to target criminal offenders, particularly repeat offenders who time and again cause misery for innocent members of the public and get them off the streets.”

Operation Vanquish is ongoing and Lancashire Police say more work is planned in the coming weeks to disrupt and deter criminal activity and keep our communities safe.

If you have information which might help police, you can contact the force via 101 or call Crimestoppers free and anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can also report a crime online on the Lancashire Police website.