PUBS in Wantage were tested for drugs and two revellers refused entry at the weekend.

The police drugs itemiser was used at The Swan pub testing anyone who wished to go inside for traces of drugs on Saturday.

Two people were refused entry after they were shown to have traces of drugs on them.

Licensing officers from the Vale of White Horse District Council also took swabs from surfaces in all the other town centre pubs.

The tests show where drugs are being used and the results are expected to take two weeks.

The operation was carried out by the Vale Nightsafe which is a partnership including police and councils tackling drugs in Abingdon, Wantage and Faringdon.

As well as using the itemiser, Nightsafe also deploys drug dogs, which can detect people who have used or been in contact with drugs in the past 36 hours.

Thirty premises in the three towns have signed up to the Vale Nightsafe's charter of good conduct, which includes committing to drugs prevention work.

The tests in Wantage also marked National Tackling Drugs Week.

PC Leigh Thompson, drugs co-ordinator for Oxfordshire, said: "We carry out operations of this nature on a regular basis.

"The fact that we have just carried it out in Wantage does not mean that Wantage has a particular problem with drugs.

"There were only two people who were refused entry which just goes to show that pubgoers in the Vale are aware that drugs on licensed premises will not be tolerated.

"We will continue to work with the Vale Nightsafe team to make the Vale a safe environment for people to go out and enjoy themselves."

Liz Hayden, Community Safety Manager at the District Council, said: "The Vale is a very safe place to live and work and the Vale's Nightsafe partnership works hard to ensure that our town centres remain a safe place for a night out.

"We also appreciate the continued co-operation we get from licensees on tackling this issue and would particularly like to thank the landlord of the Swan pub for allowing us to use the itemiser in his premises."

Sgt Andy Fiddler, based at Wantage police station, added: "These type of operations enable me to build up a picture of what and where drugs are being used so that we can work together, with our partner agencies, to target locations and drug users.

"We are planning many more operations of a similar nature in the Wantage area in the near future, including the use of drug dogs.

"My aim is to work with our partners to eradicate drug use within the licensed premises around Wantage, dealing with offences and offenders positively and robustly."