Large cannabis farm discovered in Congleton

Officers from Congleton Local Policing Unit have discovered a large cannabis farm in Congleton town centre thanks to information from the local community.

At around 8am today, Wednesday 9 October, officers we’re called to reports of suspicious activity at a disused building on West Street.

Officers attended the scene and discovered that the premises has been converted into a large cannabis farm.

Police remain in attendance at the scene and recovery work is underway.

Inspector Jim Adams of Congleton Beat Team said:

“This is a fantastic result which has enabled us to remove a significant quantity of cannabis from the streets of Congleton and further afield.

“The building has been converted into a sophisticated cannabis farm, with specialist lighting and ventilation systems to maximise the amount of class B drugs being cultivated.

“We believe that the building contained hundreds of cannabis plants at various stages of growth, which will all now be destroyed.

“While no arrests have been made at this time, people have been living in the premises and as part of our investigation we’re keen to hear from any local residents who believe they may have seen anything suspicious.

“The same goes for anyone with any CCTV footage which may aid the investigation.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police on 101 or visit www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us, quoting IML 1935973

Following the discovery, residents are urged to remain vigilant and to continue to report any suspicions of illegal drug-related activity to the police. 

There are a number signs that could indicate that a property is being used as a cannabis farm, including:

• 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
• A 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 with information in relation to illegal drugs in their community is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101, or visit www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us .