POLICE in Pendle have arrested 50 suspects in the first week of a month-long crackdown on crime in the borough.

Officers swooped on people wanted for offences, have been carrying out daily drugs raids, and clamped 20 vehicles with out-of-date tax discs.

The borough's top cop Chief Inspector Richard Debicki says the arrests are only the beginning of Operation Frustrate, which aims to turn up the heat on criminals in Pendle.

He said: "Operation Frustrate is a tough new crime crackdown operating throughout Pendle.

"It will run until Christmas, by which time we hope to have captured our top ten burglary and vehicle crime targets, along with dozens of other offenders identified by our targeting teams.

"The operation has only been up and running a week and already we have made 50 arrests - that's in addition to our everyday workload - so we're extremely pleased with our progress to date."

Police arrested 17 people on their 'wanted' list, 26 people for drug- related offences, and seven people who had failed to turn up at court.

Chief Inspector Debicki appealed to the public to help the operation by reporting any suspicious activity to the police.

He said: "Although we've had a successful start to Operation Frustrate, we will not be resting on our laurels. More activity is planned for the week ahead, with dozens of other offenders having been identified by our targeting teams.

"Our aim is to put offenders on the back foot and use every tactic in the book to significantly raise the risk of offenders being caught.

"If you are committing crime, then watch out. It's only a matter of time before we catch up with you.

"Crime in Pendle is already relatively low - certainly much lower than it has been in recent years. Our aim is to drive down crime levels still further and, with the public's help, we are confident we can achieve just that.

"If you are aware of criminal activity in your neighbourhood, or you see anyone acting suspiciously, then we want to hear about it.

"You can contact local police on 0845 125 35 45, or you can call Crimestoppers for free, and in confidence, on 0800 555 111."