POLICE stormed the homes of suspected drug dealers across Lancaster and Morecambe in a series of dramatic dawn raids.

Dubbed 'Operation Nimrod', the crackdown followed months of undercover work and is expected to inflict a major blow to local street suppliers.

Heavily clad in body armour and headgear, officers used battering rams and hydraulic equipment to force their way into 14 homes - arresting 18 men and women.

Detectives manned rear alleys to prevent any escape as the drama unfolded at 7am.

But although curtains twitched, the streets remained quiet as police marched handcuffed suspects out of their homes into secure vans.

More than 60 officers struck at eight addresses in Morecambe's town centre and West End area on Monday, and at six properties on Lancaster's Ryelands estate and Skerton yesterday (Wednesday).

At least four people had been charged with supplying heroin as the Citizen went to press.

Morecambe and Lunesdale MP Geraldine Smith says local people would welcome the action as 'a step in the right direction' towards ridding the resort of drugs.

She says part of the problem, which caused such misery, was the over-supply of cheap, run-down resort accommodation.

"We need to be tough on crime and drug dealers, and reduce the amount of slum housing in certain parts of Morecambe," she told the Citizen.

Ms Smith has asked for new measures to deal with 'rogue absentee landlords' who do not care about their tenants' behaviour.

Home secretary David Blunkett assured her in Parliament that landlords renting accommodation to anti-social tenants would soon be tackled under new legislation.

"The landlords would no longer be able to operate a business because they would be seen to be unfit landlords," says Ms Smith.

Chief Insp. Mick Gledhill hopes the raids will create a new momentum, encouraging local residents with information to come forward.

"This is significant in that it allows us to drill down deeper into the drug network," he says.

"We will be asking the community to help us with further drugs initiatives as well as tackling high level dealers."

But he warns: "Anyone who now sees Morecambe as an easy place to deal drugs will be getting a strong approach from the police."