TWO men have been arrested after a huge haul of weapons were seized by police officers following a raid on a house in Prestwich.

Dozens of weapons were recovered by officers dedicated to Greater Manchester Police's operation to tackle organised crime in Salford.

In total around 45 weapons, including knives, imitation firearms and a crossbow, were recovered during a house search in the Rainsough area on Sunday afternoon.

Patrols from Operation Naseby - GMP’s dedicated operation into tackling serious and organised crime in Salford - were driving through the Swinton area on Sunday, January 3, when they stopped a vehicle suspected of being involved in class A drug supply.

A 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

A subsequent search of an address was conducted and numerous weapons were recovered including 32 swords and knives, 12 imitation firearms and a crossbow.

Also seized were a large quantity of class A drugs estimated to be worth between £15,000 and £20,000.

A second man - aged 55 - was also arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Both men have been questioned by officers and released pending further enquiries.

Forensic examinations of all the items recovered by police are underway.

The work is part of Operation Naseby's 'disruption hub' which was formed in April 2020 and aims to reduce the activity of local organised crime groups.

Since the inception of the disruption hub, there have been 144 arrests, 147 vehicles recovered, and 59 house searches.

Detective Inspector Rebecca Mills, of GMP's Salford district, said: "This is a substantial recovery of weapons and class A drugs, as we continue to tackle the serious and organised crime that can have such a devastating impact on our communities in Salford.

"Our dedicated officers have been working thoroughly as part of the Operation Naseby disruption hub for the last nine months in order to gain results such as this and we will not relent while perpetrators of such crime remain at large.

"While we have been working immensely hard as part of this operation, it is important not to forget the importance of members of the public continuing to contact us in confidence with any information about suspicious or concerning activity so we can act on it and take the necessary action."

Anyone with information is encouraged to directly contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.