Campaigners battling to save a market have hit out at police after an “intimidating, disrespectful and traumatising” raid.

Officers arrested six men on suspicion of drug offences and five over knife possession after raiding eight businesses at the Indoor Shopping Village in Ridley Road Market, Dalston, on July 21.

Campaign group Save Ridley Road claimed that 50 police officers raided the shopping village, “handcuffed everyone” and did not leave for more than four hours.

They added that police seized money, phones and laptops from traders and that some items had not yet been returned.

Police said they found several knives and a large amount of cannabis during the raid.

But Hackney councillor and Green party candidate for London Mayor Zoe Garbett took to X, formerly Twitter, to question the police's conduct.

She said: “As ward councillor for Dalston, I've been working closely with the traders and have known them for years.

“I've just been to speak with them and this raid seems totally disproportionate and I'm really concerned at how they have been treated.”

Cllr Garbett added that traders feared the impact the raid will have on their businesses as customers witnessed what happened.

The operation comes amid ongoing negotiations between traders and Hackney Council about rental terms for the space.

The authority is due to take over the lease for the ground floor units in the shopping village in the near future.

The Save Ridley Road campaign was started in 2018 when traders were served with eviction notices after a police raid.

Rumours suggested council involvement in the new raids was a means to trigger evictions.

Save Ridley Road member Danny Hayward said: “At best it is bad timing; at worst it is a form of harassment.

“The council need to clarify their role in the raid, and Hackney police need to disclose the terms of their application for a search warrant and provide traders with receipts for all money and goods that have been confiscated.”

Hackney Council denied any involvement in the raid and claimed that it was unrelated to any issues with the leases.

Hackney Safer Neighbourhoods lead for the Metropolitan Police, Superintendent Vincent Peters, said that the raid was carried out after residents expressed “growing concern at the level of drug supply” in the area.