A 55-YEAR-OLD man was arrested in last night's major drug operation at a pub in Oxford. 

Officers swooped on the Nelson pub in Between Towns Road in Cowley and searched people under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

It was reported some officers had firearms, while sniffer dogs were also used. One witness estimated there were dozens of officers and 15 police cars and vans.

There was one arrest and drugs paraphernalia was seized along with a large amount of cash in the operation, known as Operation Relight. 

A 55-year-old man from the Oxford area was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. He remains in police custody. 

Officers conducted drug swabbing throughout the pub and found widespread evidence of drug use.

LPA Commander for Oxford, Supt Christian Bunt, thanked the residents of Cowley for their support.

He said: "I realise that carrying out such warrants can be upsetting for the local community, so I thank residents for their cooperation and patience. We will be conducting extra patrols in the area to provide reassurance to residents.

"Moving forward, we will now be liaising closely with the management of the pub to look at any ongoing issues there, but based on the findings from last night we will consider if we have sufficient evidence to take the license to review. In the interim, the pub has voluntarily agreed to close."

Thames Valley Police were joined on the operation by Oxfordshire Fire Service, who discovered breaches of fire regulations within the private dwelling areas attached to the pub.

If you have any further information that might aid the operation contact the force via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry centre on 101.