ELEVEN people arrested in early morning raids today (Thursday) are still in custody, police have just said. They are expected to remain with us for some hours yet, said a Bedfordshire Police spokesman. Details of charges and/or releases are not expected

ELEVEN people arrested in early morning raids today (Thursday) are still in custody, police have just said.

"They are expected to remain with us for some hours yet," said a Bedfordshire Police spokesman.

Details of charges and/or releases are not expected to be known until tomorrow.

Twenty properties in Stevenage, Luton, Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley were raided at 5am as part of Operation Paddle which targets an organised crime group suspected of supplying Class A drugs and criminal use of firearms in Beds.

Nearly all addresses have now been searched and cleared by police.

Considerable amounts of cash - particularly from an address in Stevenage - have been found along with a large amount of Class A drugs from various houses and drug making paraphernalia.

A multi-occupancy house at Wilsden Avenue in Luton where people were evacuated has now been declared safe - police say the chemicals found there are believed to be substances used in making drugs for sale at street level.