WILTSHIRE TIMES EXCLUSIVE: THIRTY police officers raided a Westbury pub following an 18-month investigation into alleged drug dealing.

A drug detection dog and a narcotics specialist were among the team that stormed the Ludlow Arms at 8pm on Friday.

Suspected class A drugs, thought to be cocaine or heroin, were confiscated in the raid and are now being analysed by forensics teams.

Pub landlord Paul Morris criticised police for being heavy-handed and has disputed that any drugs were found.

But Inspector Geoff Miles, who led the raid, said: "The information into alleged drug dealing came from everywhere but the majority was from the public. We are very grateful and encourage people to come forward.

"The message is for the public to continue giving us this information because we will act on it.

"The packages are suspected to be Class A and B drugs but will have to be sent for tests at the forensic laboratory.

"The amount of drugs found is inconsequential. It confirms the information given by the public.

"Sometimes people give us information and it may be six or seven months before we do anything but it takes time.

"You cannot kick a door in on one piece of information, you have to build up evidence before you can go to a magistrate and ask for a warrant."

The Ludlow Arms is currently appealing against a decision by West Wiltshire District Council to refuse a late night public entertainment licence.

Mr Morris, who reopened the pub minutes after the raid, said the Ludlow Arms is drugs free.

He said: "It was an outrage that they were so heavy-handed. The police approached it like it was a terrorist bomb factory being raided.

"I have never seen anything like that in my life. It was as if they expected to find large stashes of class A drugs, but we don't use, sell or deal drugs here.

"There are two possibilities. Firstly they have been fed incorrect intelligence, or secondly this was a massive fishing exercise looking to find anything to object to our late licence application.

"We have been searched twice and no drugs have been found. Now we can use that evidence at the licence application appeal to show the pub is clean.

"We are honest people, not a bit honest and avoided being caught out, but honest people."

Police were at the premises for about an hour and a drugs dog was used to search the pub and accommodation on the first floor.

Insp Miles said: "We were met with stony silence, then it was explained the reason we were there and the powers we had.

"We searched everybody on the premises to make it safe not only for the officers but for the public.

"There was no violence but the police did receive verbal threats. That goes with the job."

Twelve customers were also searched for drugs but nothing was found on them and no-one was arrested.

Four suspected wraps of class A drugs were found in a flat and taken away for analysis. A further search was carried out on Wednesday morning.

A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drug offences and has been released on police bail while investigations continue.