EIGHT people from Leominster have been arrested in relation to supplying drugs in the county.

On Tuesday the final arrest phase of Operation Ballet took place in Leominster and Birmingham in the largest police operation of its kind carried out in the region.

The arrests were made for suspected involvement with ‘County Lines’ drug dealing networks.

Superintendent Sue Thomas, Herefordshire commander, said: "Operation Ballet has targeted and closed down 10 county lines supplying drugs into Herefordshire.

"Seventy-five arrests have taken place in total and the first trial with six defendants has been sentenced with a total of 41 years.

“Further trials will take place in the coming months.

“We want to make it clear that supplying illegal drugs will not be tolerated, whether it's in big cities like Birmingham or being transported across county lines to more rural counties like Herefordshire.

“We want to reassure the community that we will be continuing to build on this success and will continue to clamp down on offenders and make it clear that there will be consequences should they engage in dealing illegal drugs."

The raids in Birmingham and Leominster on Tuesday saw five men and three women arrested with conspiracy to supply drugs. They were a 26-year-old-man, from Chestnut Road, Birmingham; a 24-year-old man, from Nash Square, Birmingham; a 41-year-old-man, from Mill Street, Leominster; a 29-year-old woman, from Ridgemoor Road, Leominster; a 37-year-old man, from Ridgemoor Road, Leominster; a 41-year-old-man, from Middlemarsh, Leominster; a 36-year-old woman, from Middlemarsh, Leominster; and, a 50-year old woman, from St John Kemble Court, Hereford.

A further three men were arrested during simultaneous warrants in Leominster for conspiracy to supply drugs: a 25 year-old man, from Ridgemoor Road, Leominster; a 27 year-old man, from Ridgemoor Road, Leominster; and a 19-year-old man, from Ridgemoor Road, Leominster.

They have all been released under investigation.