POLICE stopped 237 vehicles and searched 100 people during a week-long initiative aimed at preventing travelling criminals coming into East Lancashire.

Officers from across Lancashire Constabulary's Eastern Division were involved in the four-day blitz targeting vehicle crime and burglary across the region.

The move was part of Operation Enforce, initially launched in October last year as a two-week blitz, which has seen officers from Lancashire Constabulary's Eastern Division targeting crime hotspot areas in Blackburn and other areas.

Police said crime fell dramatically during the operation, with only two crimes in Blackburn and Darwen on Wednesday and a similar fall last night.

The vehicle stop and searches, which were carried out in Blackburn, Accrington, Darwen and the Ribble Valley from Monday until last night, were aimed at catching criminals.

But innocent drivers were reassured that the police were tackling crime and were given crime prevention advice leaflets.

Acting Chief Inspector Judith Finney of Blackburn Police led the operation which was aimed at disrupting criminals who travel to East Lancashire from outside the area, especially Manchester and Bolton.

Extra officers were drafted in for the clampdown which saw the arrest of ten people for a variety of offences over the four days. Three vehicles were seized and police said they gathered vital information over the movement of criminals.

Chief Insp Finney said: "Eastern Division is a vast area and criminals who reside within it often travel to other areas to commit crime to try to evade the police. Those areas that border other divisions and forces are especially vulnerable."

She added: "The purpose of these targeted stop checks is primarily to disrupt offenders, but this initiative will also help police to build up a clear picture of who is travelling into the division to commit crime."