A LARGE quantity of powdered ecstasy was recovered by police during early morning raids centred on a Rawtenstall pub.

Four men were arrested, including a man who was helped from the River Irwell after he had earlier been seen driving through Rawtenstall town centre.

The car he was in later collided with several parked cars before being left in Bacup Road.

The arrests were made as part of Lancashire Constabulary's Operation Nimrod - which has seen 500 people apprehended since it was set up 18 months ago.

Around 40 officers from the major crime unit, support officers, dog patrols, CID officers took part in the operation, which saw the The Sun Inn, Bank Street, raided.

Police said that with the help of a police sniffer dog, they seized tablets believed to be Class A drugs, white powder, cannabis, and a shoe box containing cash from the four addresses.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Toole said large amounts of the powdered form of ecstasy - MDMA - were recovered.

DCI Toole added: "We came across pure MDMA, normally found in tablet form. The powdered form is quite a rare Class A drug.

"Nationally it isn't that common. There have only been 100 seizures of such a powder over the last 12 months. It's quite disconcerting to know that this is being peddled on the streets of Rawtenstall."

Inspector Roger Ravenscroft added: "This operation has been extremely successful. We set out to arrest drug dealers. We have also sent out a message to drug dealers that they won't get away with it in Lancashire and that Lancashire Constabulary are aware of the problem and are doing something about it.

"Drug dealing will not be tolerated in Rossendale. Those who do will be arrested."