Cannabis factory found at Farnborough home after police called to water leak

Cannabis factory found at home in Farnborough
-Credit:Surrey Police


Police discovered a cannabis factory at a home in Farnborough after being called to allow engineers access to a water leak in the property next door. Officers forced entry to the home because of "significant water damage" at the neighbour's Cove Road home.

Inside the home police discovered 170 cannabis plants, which were mature and ready for harvesting. The crop was seized.

Police stayed on the scene while a team from SSE Energy Solutions made sure the electrics were safe. Hampshire Police said its enquiries into the cannabis factory were ongoing.

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Acting police sergeant Daniel Eaves, of Hart and Rushmoor’s priority crime team, said: "In this instance, it appears that the electrical supply had been bypassed, with unsafe electrical cables and wiring inside the property. A leak had also been caused, which had impacted the neighbour’s address and could have had much more serious consequences for nearby properties and even people’s lives."

'People suffer'

Talking about the drug, he said: "We know that a lot of people think that it’s just cannabis and no big deal. We have also heard people say that if it were legalised, all these problems we talk about would go away."

"It is not for us to get into debate about the law, and while the production and supply of cannabis is illegal, people are victims of serious harm, and people suffer – which is something that we cannot ignore. For these reasons and many more, it’s not just cannabis – it’s linked to serious criminality and serious harm which we are not going to ignore.”

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The force said it was "really keen to hear from people who suspect there is cannabis cultivation or drug-related activity going on their neighbourhood". A spokesperson added: "Every call you make to us is logged and helps us build up an intelligence picture about what might be happening in your community.

"This allows us to take action and prevent your neighbourhoods from harm." People can contact police on 101 or online here.

Alternatively, you can report to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online here.

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