These were the scenes today as police carried out raids on houses in Worcestershire as part of a crackdown on burglaries.

A total of 30 officers from West Mercia Police, some in plain clothes, carried out the morning swoops on the homes of people suspected of burglaries or handling stolen goods. Many people in the properties were still asleep as police pounded on their doors.

After raids on a property in Gould Avenue, Kidderminster, two people were arrested on suspicion of cannabis cultivation. At another address in Walton Close, arrests were made on the suspicion of possession and cultivation of cannabis and suspicion of handling stolen goods.

Police took away items in paper bags and boxes from many of the properties.

The raids were launched as part of an initiative codenamed Operation Protect.

It is part of West Mercia’s Safe and Secure campaign designed to persuade householders to increase security while at the same time reducing their fear of crime.