POLICE say they have hammered drug dealing in Winchester, officers told a public meeting.

Five people from London have been arrested recently after using city houses as bases, according to PCSO Tim Wyld told a public meeting.

It comes after crack houses in Trussell Crescent, Weeke and Colson Close, Winnall, were shut by court orders.

PCSO Wyld said a vulnerable drug user in Trussell Crescent was being “hosted” by dealers from the capital, who would send runners to deal on the streets.  “We’ve made it really difficult for it to happen – we’ve dramatically reduced what’s going on,” PCSO Donna Bidle told at the Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting praising the work of colleagues.

PCSO Donna Bidle, praising her colleagues, said: “They’ve hammered it completely – they’re speaking to these people all the time and finding out where these people are coming from.”

Officers also said they had clamped down on a legal high dealer in Winchester city centre.

Last month police closed Head High, a shop selling legal highs shop in Stockbridge Road, after reports it was becoming a hive of anti-social behaviour.