THREE men have been arrested following a drugs warrant at a property in Botley Road, Oxford.

As yet unknown quantities of what are believed to be crack cocaine and heroine were seized along with a number of items officers believe are stolen. These include several laptops, digital cameras, work tools and a bicycle.

Two men, aged 30 and 36, were arrested immediately at the scene yesterday and a 32-year-old man was arrested soon after. They are all in custody and are being questioned by officers.

PC Steve Mather, of the Oxford City Centre Unit, who led the operation, said: "Osney and the Botley Road have not historically been a problem area for drugs, but lately there has been an increase in drug users and dealers operating in the area.

"Needles have been found on a daily basis in nearby parks, there have been incidents of anti-social behaviour and a number of drugs overdoses reported, thankfully none of them fatal.

"Our intelligence suggested the property we raided was directly connected to these problems and we acted quickly with this warrant. We hope this action will significantly reduce or even totally remove these issues from the Botley Road area.

"Drugs lead directly to other crimes being committed. We hope this will also lead to a reduction in the likes of burglary and auto-crime in Oxford."