Appeal for help finding drugs farms

POLICE are urging people to report buildings they suspect may have been turned into a cannabis farm.

The appeal follows police raids which saw two cannabis factories in Crewe shut down in a week.

A total of 250 cannabis plants were seized from a house in Newfield Drive last Wednesday and a teenage Vietnamese girl was arrested.

And nearly 450 plants were discovered in a terraced house in Delamere Street on Tuesday.

The plants, if fully grown and converted into cannabis, would have had a street value of about £100,000.

Sergeant Adam Butt, from Crewe Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said: "They will take over a house or business premises, knock holes in walls, ceilings and floors and bring in heating equipment and irrigation systems for the plants, as well as tons of compost.

"A lot of electrical wiring is also set up, usually bypassing the meter and introducing a considerable fire risk.

"There are a lot of clues for neighbours to spot a house which has been converted in this way. The heat generated is often noticeable outside.

"Windows are blacked out. You may also be able to hear the sound of fans working or of drums being dragged around."

Anyone who suspects a building is a cannabis farm should call Cheshire Police on 0845 458 0000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.