THE head of Bolton police have vowed to stop at nothing in the war on drugs.

Chief Supt Dave Lea said "every tool available" would be used to smash gangs which wreaked misery on the lives of addicts and residents.

The pledge comes after eight members of a gang which flooded the streets with £200,000 worth of heroin a week were jailed for a total of 46 years.

"We have a proven track record in stopping gangs and no tactic is off limits," said Chief Supt Lea.

"If people want to come to Bolton and participate in this sort of criminal activity we will use the full range of weapons available to combat them."

Wayne Spencer's gang was caught after a five-month undercover operation allowed officers to reach the heart of the organisation by earning their trust.

Posing as customers, detectives bought more than £200,000 worth of heroin and recorded a string of meetings to provide evidence at court. They made contact with members at the bottom of the gang last May to buy £10 bags.

Within months, they met Spencer and organised a deal to buy a kilogramme of heroin for £19,000 which could have been sold on the streets for more than £100,000.

"This operation represents an excellent result and had a massive impact on the supply of drugs," he said.

"My vision is that one day we will be sufficiently equipped to ensure people stop taking drugs altogether once these gangs have been arrested."

Spencer, aged 31, of Drake Hall, Westhoughton, was led from the dock at Bolton Crown Court to start a 13-year sentence on Friday.

Alongside him were gang members as young as 18 who helped to ferry drugs from Westhoughton to other parts of Bolton. Police fear that in winding up the Westhoughton gang, they have smashed just one of three main organisations who they believe are helping to feed the habits of Bolton's many addicts.

But Chief Supt Lea said operations to stop new gangs were already under way.