ELEVEN people were caught in the first five days of a police campaign to arrest a "drug dealer a day" last week.

Police have revealed that six of them were charged with drugs offences and have appeared before Bolton Magistrates Court.

Drug squad officers swooped at dawn at addresses in Halliwell and Tonge Moor last week. The raids are due to continue throughout this week as part of operation Chipata.

A police spokesman said quantities of what are believed to be class A drugs recovered in the raids are now being forensically examined.

The operation follows three months of intelligence gathering and police say they hope to arrest a "drug dealer every day."

More houses were due to be raided today.