Ecstasy with a street value of more than £30,000 has been discovered hidden in a field by police.

Officers seized 5,050 tablets from countryside on the outskirts of Angmering, near Worthing, in what is thought to be the biggest ever haul of the class A drug recovered in the area.

Officers said the find, part of an ongoing blitz on drug crime in the Worthing and Littlehampton district, was a major blow to dealers and would make a massive dent in their profits.

Detective Inspector Paul Williams, who was involved in the recovery operation, said: "This is a huge number of ecstasy tablets which were obviously destined for the local market.

"It was the biggest ever find of ecstasy tablets I can remember in this area. The most we have found before have just been in the hundreds in the Littlehampton and Worthing areas. This was a highly successful operation.

"The tablets were worth a great deal of money so to have them seized would be a huge loss to the dealer.

"Ecstasy is a class A drug and kills. We have seen cases nationally of the drug having serious and sometimes fatal consequences for users.

"We are determined to get the drug off the streets. We will continue to target drug dealing at the source."

The white tablets, which were stamped with the letters YL, were sent to a laboratory in London yesterday and were confirmed as ecstasy.

No arrests have been made but police are appealing for anyone with information to contact 0845 6070999.