Police are urging Bradford people to support their fight against drugs by tipping them off about dealers.

A district-wide survey has found that 85 per cent of homeowners would report drug dealing in their neighbourhood if they were aware of it. But less than a quarter of those had actually contacted the police.

Detective Inspector Neil Benstead, head of the Bradford District Drugs Team, said: "It is encouraging to know people are prepared to report drug dealing. However, I would like to see more people actually doing so.

"It could be that the 85 per cent who said they would report it have never actually needed to. However, if there is anyone who has concerns about dealing, but hasn't contacted the police, then I would appeal to them to ring us.

"I can't stress enough that the Dob in a Dealer hotline is 100 per cent anonymous and completely free. If you ring from a landline the phone call will not show up on any phone bills or records. Dob in a Dealer gives local people the power to speak out about their suspicions without the fear of reprisals."

The survey also showed that since the Crackdown in Bradford - A Community Against Drugs campaign was launched in 2002 the number of people who say they have witnessed police raids or arrests of drug dealers has trebled.

Det Insp Benstead said: "The fact that more and more people have seen action being taken by the drugs team is testament to those people who have called Dob in a Dealer. We are arresting more people than ever in relation to drug trafficking and this inevitably has a positive effect on our neighbourhoods."

He added: "We appreciate the feedback from the communities we serve and we are committed to driving drug dealers out of the area and out of business."