DRUG dealers being forced out of one corner of the North-East by a high-profile police campaign, have been warned they will not find new homes in neighbouring towns.

Anti-drug operations in Cleveland under the local force's Dealer A Day campaign appear to be forcing criminals to turn their attentions elsewhere.

Five people were arrested over the weekend in Darlington on suspicion of various offences relating to the supply and possession of Class A drugs.

Officers recovered heroin and Ecstasy tablets from properties in the town during raids which were carried out last Friday.

The four men and one woman are now on police bail and are expected to face charges once laboratory tests on the seized drugs have been completed.

A spokesman for Darlington police said: "Five people are on police bail pending charges of possession of drugs and possession with intent to supply.

"It is a good response from us because Cleveland Police are obviously continuing their Dealer A Day campaign.

"It is a perennial problem for any police force, but anyone coming to Darlington instead will find that it is not an easy deal here as well.

"We are targeting dealers all the time, but executing warrants on a number of premises raises the profile and is a reassurance to the public that we are pursuing these people."

Friday's arrests were made in the centre of Darlington and on the eastern side of the town.

It brings a total of 12 arrests in the town during the past ten days, including two women held on suspicion of possession and supply of heroin, Ecstasy and cannabis.

The raids were a major success in an ongoing campaign against dealers in Darlington, which has seen several other warrants executed in the past ten days.

The Cleveland force's Dealer A Day campaign has seen hundreds of suspected peddlers arrested and charged in recent months.

Earlier this month, 22 people were arrested during raids on suspected crack houses in Middlesbrough.

Swoops on properties in the town's Outram Street and Union Street led to crack cocaine with an estimated street value of £400 being seized.