POLICE seized a fist-sized lump of what they believe was cannabis resin in a raid on a house in London Road as part of their crack down on crime and lawlessness in Marlborough.

Sgt Paul Oatway warned the operation was the start of police moves to honour their pledge for zero tolerance.

About a dozen officers, some of them specialist drugs officers from Devizes and Swindon, were involved in the raid on the cottage in London Road. The team battered down the front door to make a surprise entry.

A man in his thirties was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled drug after officers found what they described as "a fist sized" lump of a substance which was suspected to be cannabis resin.

The man was released on police bail while the substance is analysed. If their suspicions are confirmed police will ask the Crown Prosecution Service to charge the man with dealing in drugs as they say the quantity was too much for personal use.

Sgt Oatway, who left the town on Friday after standing-in for several months during a re-shuffle of senior officers, said: "We made a pledge to this town recently to be hard on crime, hard on drugs and not to tolerate disorder and we are now implementing that strategy."

He said the drugs raid on Friday, October 13, was the result of an ongoing police operation following the receipt of information and also of police observations.

Sgt Oatway said: "As a result a thorough search of the premises four people were initially detained and we subsequently arrested one man for the suspected possession of a controlled drug."

The sergeant said it was possible that further similar raids would be taking place on premises in the town as part of the police bid to rid Marlborough of drugs as part of the recently announced crackdown on crime.

Sgt Oatway, who will be returning to Tidworth next week, said: "We fully understand the task ahead will be difficult but the people of this town must understand that cannabis resin and other controlled drugs are illegal. We will not tolerate their use or distribution and we are very much into intelligence-led policing."

The new sergeant at Marlborough is Martyn Sweett, a local man who is married with two children who was previously based in Swindon.

The new sergeant at Marlborough is Martyn Sweett, a local man who is married with two children who was previously based in Swindon