BOARDER Force officers have been praised for "taking drugs off the city's streets" following a multi-million pound drug-bust in Southampton.

Southampton MPs have praised the work of the officers involved, commending them for taking the crime out and away from the city.

It comes after nearly a tonne of cocaine, worth £76million, was seized by Boarder Force officers having been discovered at the Port of Southampton.

The haul, weighing a total of 949 kilos, was discovered concealed within bananas in a shipping container on a commercial vessel docked at the port.

Police believe it was placed in the cargo in Colombia en route to Antwerp in Belgium.

Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen, said the work was "fantastic" adding that he would "like to commend" the officers for "preventing these drugs from making it onto our streets".

He added: "The drug trade is heinous. It not only destroys the lives of users but those who are often forced to distribute drugs across the country.

"Too many casual users think this despicable trade is nothing to do with them, they are wrong.

"Drugs aren’t delivered by Amazon but by well organised gangs and frequently abused children. I hope they think about this when they read the news of this seizure.”

MP for Southampton Test, Alan Whitehead, said the news was "great".

"It's great that this huge quantity of class A drugs won't reach the streets thanks to Border Force agents," he said.

"The smuggling of drugs and subsequent sale on the streets is a driver of crime, violence and the exploitation of young people.

"Any disruptions to these criminal networks are welcome."

Using search techniques and visual checks, Border Force officers identified anomalies within the container cargo and discovered the drugs on January 15.

Regional director for Border Force South, Tim Kingsberry said: “This significant seizure has removed a large amount of dangerous drugs from the streets, which not only reduces the significant harm they cause to communities but also makes a huge dent in the profits of smugglers.”

Home secretary Priti Patel added: “This was drug smuggling on an industrial scale so I’m delighted that Border Force officers have prevented such a large quantity of dangerous goods from reaching our streets."