Community garden project receives equipment seized from cannabis warrant in Wilmslow

Gardening equipment seized during a drugs warrant at a property in Handforth has been donated to a local community market.

Officers from Wilmslow Beat Team and Police and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer attended Wilmslow Community Market Garden on Wednesday 31 May to hand  over gardening equipment seized during a drugs warrant at an address in Handforth.

The Wilmslow Community Market Garden, which is part of Transition Wilmslow, has four food-growing gardens across Wilmslow and aims to provide locally sourced food to the wider community. 

The Market Garden has also previously received funding from the office of Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

The growing equipment had been recovered following a warrant at an address on Ullswater Road, Handforth, in which approximately £150,000 worth of cannabis plants and growing equipment were seized.

Rather than destroy all of the equipment, officers at Wilmslow decided that the plant pots, soil and gardening tools should go good use and reached out to the Wilmslow Community Market Garden, who gladly accepted the donation of equipment to their garden.

PCSO Gareth Harding of Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, said:

“We understand the negative impact illegal drug use and supply can have in our local areas, so we hope that by donating this equipment to the local community garden here in Wilmslow, we are able to give something back to the community.

“The property in question contained a large number of cannabis plants and a sophisticated set up, bypassing electricity to maximise the amount of class B drugs being cultivated.

“A seizure on this scale is a fantastic result and is testament to our officer’s hard work in tackling this kind of activity.”

Two males who were inside the property at the time were arrested and pleaded guilty to the production of class B drugs (cannabis) have been remanded in custody for sentencing.

Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mr Dwyer visited the community garden at Oakenclough Children's Centre, Wilmslow, as part of the handover.

John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said:

“It’s great to see the local officers from Macclesfield offering the gardening equipment to a community group. What initially could have been used to blight society will now be used with the right intentions.

“In my Police and Crime Plan, tackling drug supply is a key priority for me and it’s great to see the team in Wilmslow have disrupted this supply, and the wider community have benefitted as a whole.”

Anyone with information in relation to the supply of illegal drugs is asked to contact Cheshire Police on 101 or via our website. You can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.