DETECTIVES leading the biggest ever drugs crackdown in Southampton today appealed for the public's help in catching suspected dealers.

Police working on Operation Towngate, a two-week blitz designed to disrupt the supply of Class-A drugs across Southampton, said their work would be impossible without intelligence provided by the local community.

Already 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of drug offences in the first seven days of the campaign.

Officers from Southampton's specialist crime team have seized more than £11,000-worth of illegal drugs, including crack cocaine, heroin, Ecstasy, cannabis and speed.

Other property found in a series of raids across the city has included large quantities of cash, mobile phones, radio scanners and assorted drugs paraphernalia.

Today Det Insp Derek Stubbington, leading the initiative, said: "This operation intends to put people who deal in drugs out of circulation.

"By doing so, we will reduce the level of violent crime and the knock-on effects of drug use such as the hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of acquisitive crime that goes with it, such as burglary and prostitution.

"We also want to remove the detrimental effects drug dealing has on people in Southampton and the children of drug users and improve their quality of life."

He added: "This is just the first of a number of operations we are planning to get rid of drug dealers and disrupt the supply of drugs in Southampton and the public has an important role in helping us.

"In order for us to arrest these people, we need to know who they are and urge anyone who knows or suspects someone is dealing in their community to contact us or Crimestoppers anonymously so that we can disrupt this terrible trade."

Anyone with information should contact Southampton Central police on 0845 045 4545 or Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.