THE majority of the raids in the Chippenham division were on homes in Calne, where townspeople have complained their lives were being blighted by drug dealers and drug crime.

Officers swooped on ten addresses in the town, mostly on the Coleman's Farm Estate, and two properties in Chippenham. They also called on a house in Corsham.

Police said the raids followed a nine- month period in which local officers and sector commanders, together with the support of specialist officers in the Chippenham and Calne areas, aggressively and proactively pursued a course of intelligence gathering.

"The result of this extended period of intelligence gathering allowed us to identify a hard core of drug dealing affecting the heart of the local communities, particularly Calne," said a police spokesman.

Calne-based PC Hans Monahan, who patrols the Abberd Way beat, said Operation Claire should counter those critics who accused police of inactivity on drugs.

He said: "This operation will reassure local people who have been frustrated that something positive is being done, which will have an impact on their lives. It will put a big dent in Calne's drug dealing community for a significant period of time."

A total of 18 people were arrested and they have been charged with 69 offences connected with dealing in or the supply of Class A drugs. Heroin worth £175 on the street was recovered in Calne, but it is thought the total will rise.

Inspector Ray Josey, who helped co-ordinate the operation, said its success lay in the hands of the community who had helped the police gather intelligence.

"It is very much the co-operation between the police and local communities that has brought this about," he said.

"The Shop A Pusher campaign by the Gazette was very helpful and many people rang in anonymously and reported suspicious activity, such as vehicles coming and going from a property at night. Local communities reported information and then the police were able to analyse it and piece it all together like a jigsaw puzzle."