POLICE swooped on three homes in Macclesfield at the weekend - one with a suspected cannabis farm - in a series of dramatic early morning raids.

More than 30 officers - some clad in body armour - took part in 'Operation Trunk' which was designed to cause "maximum disruption to criminal activity" in the town.

During the intelligence-led crackdown at one of the addresses, police allegedly seized more than 41 cannabis plants and what they believe to be one gram of cocaine as well as drug-related items and a quantity of cash.

A trio of teams executed the simultaneous raids and I was with one squad to witness the drama at one of the houses.

Speaking before the raids, Sgt Russ Thomas said the aim of the community impact day was to take positive action and disrupt criminal activity.

And we were warned about the dangers officers face carrying out raids.

Sgt Ian Alldred said: "You just don't know what you are going to find. You don't know who or what is behind the door, whether it is four or five people, someone with a machete or no-one at all. And that is why we go in with the numbers we do. Police have been stabbed by needles left by dealers in the past."

Wearing helmets and body armour, the vector unit from the Area Support Group based at Winsford headquarters, were first to burst through the door. They used a hydraulic ram which "pops" the door frame open, making it easier to break down, followed by a dog handler and other officers.

Crime Scene Investigators then carried out a more detailed search.

Other elements of the day included enforcement action with Customs and Excise who stopped a number of vehicles identified as allegedly being run on 'red diesel'.

One was seized and a £500 fixed penalty issued to the driver.

Six vehicles were clamped by DVLA enforcement officers for offences relating to no tax and insurance.

The CCTV vehicle was deployed on the Cat and Fiddle road as part of an ongoing effort to reduce speed and fatal collisions and 28 parking tickets were issued in the town centre.

Three local youths were arrested for assault and public order type offences. They have been released on bail as enquiries continue.

Almost all of Macclesfield's Neighbourhood Policing Unit were involved in the operation from 8am on Saturday, June 23 until 2am on Sunday, June 24.

Sgt Alldred added: "Without the community's help we couldn't put intelligence packages together. Weeks if not months of planning goes into trying to build up a picture and gather as much information as we can. But without help from members of the public we wouldn't be able to do our job."

Speaking afterwards Inspector Gareth Woods, head of Macclesfield's NPU, said: "If this impact day helps to reduce crime even further then fantastic. A lot of the activity is as a result of what people tell us. If people see us taking positive action because of what they have told us then hopefully they will tell us more.

"Many thanks to those of you who came along and supported what we were all striving to achieve."

Anyone with information can contact the police on 0845 458 6371 or 0845 458 0000 .

  • A man has been arrested and bailed pending further investigations.

Nothing was found at the second address which was searched but at the third home targeted police recovered what they believe to be drug-related items and stolen property.

No arrest was made at the time but enquiries are ongoing.