Cheshire Police shut down cannabis farm in Middlewich

Officers were seen at an abandoned building on Newton Bank during the day on Wednesday, November 4.

As a result of a raid they have seized a large number of cannabis plants at a commercial premises in the town.

Officers were in process of removing the drugs and drugs paraphernalia and a police probe was underway.

PC Adam Archer, of Cheshire Police, said: "The premises was capable of producing in the region of 70kg of cannabis per year that would have a potential street value of over £800,000 per year.

"This is just one of many operations we carry out to target illegal drugs from getting into our community, whether that is carrying out warrants, targeting dealers or shutting down houses used to deal drugs – all to help improve the communities we live in."

Officers were seen at an abandoned building on Newton Bank (Image: Cheshire Police)

There was also an appeal for information on other cannabis farms.

A police spokesperson said these are some of the common clues:

• A strong and sickly-sweet smell.
• Equipment to grow cannabis being taken into a property, such as lighting and ventilation equipment.
• Constantly covered or blocked-off windows. Cannabis farms often have constantly closed curtains, black-out blinds or foil coverings.
• People coming and going at all hours or neighbours you never see.
• Strong and constant lighting day and night.
• High levels of heat and condensation. Cannabis farms often give off heat and the windows stay misted up.
• Constant buzz of ventilation. Listen out for a whirring sound as the growers try to create an ideal climate for cannabis plants to grow.
• Lots of power cables. Offenders often dig underground to lay cables that hook up to things like lamp posts, so they do not have to pay for the enormous amounts of electricity they use.

Anyone can contact Cheshire Police on 101 or on cheshire.police.uk.

They can also contact crime charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.