A CO-ORDINATED police drugs bust operation in Wellington went awry last week when officers raided the wrong Rockwell Green house and arrested and handcuffed the wrong man.

To make matters worse, the family say it was the second time in about two months that police had wrongly been to the house.

The drugs raids were part of a regional anti-drugs operation which saw four people taken into custody and the seizure of suspected crack cocaine and heroin, as well as cash, mobile phones and a stun gun. Police also carried out raids in Taunton and in Wolverhampton

The Rockwell Green bust was intended to be on a flat in Northside, but police broke into a house 100 yards away on the other side of the road in Oaken Ground.

Both properties have a white front door with brass door knockers and letterboxes and both have the same street number.

The 6.45am raid on Thursday, July 28, was witnessed by Oaken Ground neighbours who went outside to watch as three police cars, two vans, a Black Maria prisoner transfer vehicle, and about 15 officers kitted out in black uniform were used for the operation.

Tracy Dodden was just going downstairs from her bedroom when the drugs squad started to break down her front door. “I thought someone was trying to break in at first,” Tracy told the Wellington Weekly News. “It was scary, I was shaking like a leaf.

“It is frightening for innocent people. If someone had a bad heart they could have a heart attack.”

Her partner Lee Renshaw said: “I came downstairs and I saw two police officers at the back door and they said ‘don’t move’ so I put my hands up.

“They said they had a warrant for my arrest and they handcuffed me. “

Tracy added: “They never explained why they were here. They ran in shouting ‘police, police, nobody move’.

“They were here about half an hour and they were searching the house and my bag and purse and were moving cushions and looking behind the sofa before they realised.

“We knew we did not do anything wrong but we did not know what our rights were.

“You would think with something so big like that early in the morning, you would think they would have a conference of some sort to make sure they have got the right place.

“Surely they must have known they were looking for a flat and this was a house?”

Lee was put in the kitchen, Tracy and her son Billy Chidgey were made to stand against the living room wall.

Lee said: “About 10 minutes later they came back in and I heard one of them whisper to another saying ‘we’ve got the wrong address’ and it was a few minutes after that, they uncuffed me.”

Billy said: “I was half asleep and it did shake me up a bit. I came out of my bedroom with my hands up.”

He said about two months earlier a similar incident happened when police turned up at about midnight asking to look around because they had been told there was screaming coming from the house.

Again, the report actually related to the property in Northside.

Billy said: “They need to learn lessons from it.”

Northside resident Karl Moe, who was among neighbours watching the incident unfold, told the Wellington Weekly: “It was like the Keystone Cops operating here.

Mr Moe said about half an hour into the raid he heard a police officer shouting and then ‘they all came down the road to next door to me and reversed the Black Maria over the kerb’.

“Every neighbour was disturbed, they were all out on the street watching,” he said.

Wellington town, district, and county councillor Marcus Barr visited Tracy and her family after the raid to check on their wellbeing.

Cllr Barr said: “It seems farcical. I bet every local drug dealer will be laughing at the police.”

Avon and Somerset Police apologised for the error.

A spokesman said: "A verbal apology was made at the time and we would like to take this opportunity to repeat this publicly for any distress and upset caused by the error we made.

"In light of the subsequent concerns raised publicly by the family, a senior officer has made contact again to further apologise and discuss the matter with them.

"Officers remained with the occupants to ensure the damage was repaired to the door and lock was fixed.

"We are a learning organisation and a debrief has taken place with the officers involved to help prevent a similar incident occurring in future.”

:: A 56-year-old man from Wellington and two other men have been charged in connection with the supply of class A drugs and were remanded in custody at Taunton Crown Court until a further hearing later this month.