Man arrested after cannabis farm found in Wallasey

Officers have arrested a man and seized a cannabis factory worth £1.6m a year in Wallasey this morning.
 
At around 10.35am, officers entered a property on Carrington Road and located a large-scale cannabis factory across four separate rooms and the loft, containing about 400 plants. Growing equipment was also seized.
 
A 24-year-old man was found inside the property. He has been arrested on suspicion of cannabis cultivation.
 
Community Inspector Paul Harrison said: “Sadly, dealers are intent on continuing to peddle illegal drugs despite restrictions on travel.
 
“But having seen a decrease in calls overall, we have been able to do more proactively to disrupt criminals involved in serious and organised crime, as well as anti-social behaviour in our communities.
 
“Cannabis grown on this sort of scale presents a huge risk to people living nearby. Electricity and water simply do not mix and nobody wants to live next door to a property at risk of fire and flood.
 
“The production of cannabis can also attract serious violent crime to the doorsteps of those properties, and we’re determined to remove the threat they pose to the safety of people in Merseyside.
 
“We will keep working with local authorities, energy companies and housing providers to find and seize cannabis farms.
 
“If you are worried that cannabis is being grown in your community, tell us what you know and we will take action like the action we have taken today to make your streets safer.
 
“Be aware of some of the signs and how to report them to us, and we’ll do the rest.”

Watch Matt Brown, our Cannabis Dismantling Team manager, explain how you can spot signs of cannabis being grown where you live:
 

Some of the signs that cannabis is being grown are:

• Strange smells and sounds
• Frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times
• Gardening equipment being taken into a property, such as plant pots, fertiliser, fans and industrial lighting
• Windows are sealed and covered or the curtains are permanently closed
• Heat from an adjoining property
• Birds gathering on a roof in cold weather
• Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more sinister
 
Anyone with information on cannabis farms should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously