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Zombie knives and machetes found during drug raids

Ollie SamuelsBBC News, in Accrington
Lancashire Police A grainy dark image of a police officer in a bedroom. He is putting handcuffs on a man in bed, who's face has been replaced with a white circle.Lancashire Police
Bodycam footage of a man being arrested in bed in a drugs raid in Accrington

Zombie knives, machetes, cash, phones, and white powder have been seized in drug raids in a town.

Officers searched homes and made arrests in Accrington, as part of Operation Shore, a clamp down on the illegal class B drug, ketamine.

Lancashire Police said across its South and East divisions, 29 arrests were made, ranging in age between 55 and 15.

Ch Insp Chris Abbott said the raids were conducted "based on community information and intelligence", adding that "organised gangs are exploiting our young people".

A woman in a cream coat is escorted out of a house by a female police officer in a black coat. The arrested woman has her back to us, and is covering her face with a hood
A woman is arrested in Accrington as part of the raids

Abbot said that drug supply occurred "across our communities" in Lancashire, and "the more information we have, the more action that we can take."

Lancashire's Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Kimberley Whitehead said ketamine was "a big deal", with "more and more increases in people taking ketamine, particularly for young people".

Lancashire Police said there had been 294 ketamine-related offences recorded during the past three years, with an increase year on year across that period.

However, the force said it believed the issue was under-reported, based on information gathered from healthcare providers and local drug treatment services.

The force conducted 14 warrants across a week of action in it's South and East divisions, with data for its West division not yet available.

A man looks off to the right of the camera. He is wearing a black jacket with patches of white and blue checks. A patch on his chest says Lancashire. In the background, a street with several newer built houses.
Chief Inspector Chris Abbott from Lancashire Police in Accrington

Ketamine is widely used in the NHS as an anaesthetic, sedative and pain reliever, and is also commonly used on animals.

But on the black market it's a Class B drug, which means it is illegal to take, carry, make or sell.

Misuse of the drug can cause pain in the stomach and back, a frequent and urgent need to urinate, blood in the urine, and sometimes incontinence.

According to a government report, the number of people being treated for ketamine misuse in 2025 in England was more than 12 times higher than the same figure in 2015.

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