Drug fears prompt searches

Concerns raised about the level of drug abuse in east Durham have led to a series of raids targeting people suspected of using and dealing.

Officers from the Durham force carried out 18 searches in the Seaham area last weekend.

Among the arrests was a taxi driver who had nine bags of powder in his car. Laboratory tests are checking for cocaine.

Another man was arrested in a town centre car park on suspicion of possessing heroin, and two teenagers were arrested in the same place for cannabis possession.

Durham Police said they were working with the primary care trusts, the Durham Drug Action Team and the Easington Substance Misuse Initiative to reduce drug dependency in east Durham.

Police have stressed that the drug abuse situation in Seaham is no worse than anywhere else in the region.