THREE suspected drug dealers were arrested in their homes in Selby today as part of an ongoing crackdown on crime.

Police swooped on houses, in Germain Road and Woodville Terrace, on the Abbots Road estate, in an early morning raid.

A man and a woman at the Woodville Terrace house and a man at the Germain Road house were arrested on suspicion of dealing in Class A, B and C drugs and handling stolen property.

During the search, in which a sniffer dog was used, they also arrested another woman for an alleged drugs-related offence.

It brought the number of arrests made in the Selby area over the last two weeks to 65.

The crackdown is part of Operation Delivery, a force-wide initiative to sweep criminals from the streets of Selby, York and North Yorkshire.

After forcing their way into the two houses today, 20 Selby police officers wearing protective clothing carried out a thorough search of all rooms, lofts and gardens.

The suspects were taken to the cells at Selby Police Station, where they are helping detectives with their inquiries.

The cells, which closed nearly three years ago as part of cutbacks, have been temporarily reopened this week to cope with the influx of prisoners.

Acting Inspector Chris Witty said today they would leave no stone unturned.

He said: "We're trying to make a positive impact. There's a lot of people doing a lot of hard work to make sure people who are wanted are getting caught.

"We want to tell people we are no longer going to tolerate people being involved in drug dealing or thieving."

Chief Inspector Andy Hirst said: "This is part of a concentrated effort that is not going to go away.

"People have been coming into the station this week and saying 'I hear you're looking for me'.

"It's already sending out a message. We need to have the upper hand."

One Abbots Road resident, who did not wish to be named, said she welcomed the raids.

She said: "I've been living in fear for months. I've been so frightened, but this will make me feel a lot safer.

"These raids aren't before time, I'm delighted."

Updated: 14:19 Wednesday, September 24, 2003