FORTY-EIGHT dealers in class A drugs were charged with committing offences in South Worcestershire during the past year.

The number, three down on the previous year, covered the period between April 1, 2006, and the end of March 2007.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hardman, of the CID drugs team, said: "This is very good news. It was a successful 12 months for the team - which worked hard to bring these people to justice - and for everyone from other policing teams across the division who often hand cases to us.

"We continue to target known drug dealers in our area and have already had a good start to the next 12 months as 14 offenders have been charged since April 1 this year - four ahead of last year's monthly average."

The charges involved possession of and supplying heroin, crack cocaine and/or ecstasy and involved 22 offenders from Worcester, 12 from Evesham, nine from Droitwich, four from Pershore and one from Malvern.

The majority were targeted during operations run by the proactive drugs team, which used information from the public and other intelligence to secure arrests and convictions.

The longest sentences - five years - were imposed on a Pershore man for supplying heroin, and a Worcester man for possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

DS Hardman said: The figures for last year - and now for the first part of this - clearly demonstrate that illegal drugs remain a prime target for south Worcestershire police and that we are not in any way resting on our laurels.''