THIRTY properties in Halton were raided in a series of dawn swoops as part of the police's biggest ever clamp-down on drug dealing.

More than 200 officers took part in the dawn raids yesterday as part of Operation Crackdown.

Dealers in crack cocaine and heroin were targeted as battering rams were used by armed officers to enter houses and flats in Runcorn, Widnes and Liverpool.

Twenty six arrests were made during the operation and 30 addresses were raided simultaneously.

Chief Insp David Griffin, who led the raids, said: 'This operation is the culmination of a protracted campaign against dealers in hard drugs in Halton.

'We believe these are the people responsible for the majority of the crack and heroin sold to drug users in the borough.

'We wanted to strike a blow for the silent majority who can see their communities being slowly destroyed by these people.'

* Update: SEVENTEEN people have been charged by police following dawn raids at the homes of suspected drug dealers.

Police swooped on homes in Liverpool, Runcorn, Widnes and Warrington in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Officers arrested and charged 17 people who have appeared at Halton magistrates court for drug-related offences.

The operation was the largest anti-drugs blitz launched by Cheshire Police who used up to 300 officers in the raids.