Dozens of Asian families cannot get to their valuable jewellery and have had to cancel holidays after police raided a safe depository in Edgware last week.

Officers seized around 7,000 safety deposit boxes when they raided the building in Manor Park Crescent.

Police also raided safe depositories in Hampstead and London's Park Lane as part of the operation on Monday, June 2.

But many of the owners, who were not told their boxes had been seized, now face a long wait to get their possessions back as police investigate the contents of each one.

Loganathan Visvanathan has had to cancel his holiday in Germany next week because his passport was in the box he had been renting.

He said: "This is causing a lot of disruption, it's a massive headache for us.

"Nobody is telling us what is going on and lots of people are going through a lot of hassle.

We are not money launderers, we are not criminals, we use the boxes because they are safe and easy for us.

"We just want to know what's going on."

Mr Visvanathan said he and his family kept all their valuable jewellery in the boxes and they may now not be able to attend large Asian functions.

He said: "We can't go to weddings and ceremonies because we haven't got our jewellery.

"People will think we are beggars because our necks are bare."

Mr Visvanathan said he knows many people who use the safety deposit boxes who are in a similar position to his family.

He urged the police to let them know what is happening.

Officers have set up a Freephone help number for people who legitimately store property in the boxes, but they say forensic tests and searches could take "a protracted amount of time" to complete.

Some residents who have called the number say they have been told it could be months before possessions are returned to them.

Officers arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of money laundering and two men were arrested for obstruction.

The Freephone number is 0800 030 4613 and is available between 8am to 8pm.