Watch Telford police break down Brookside cannabis farm door with 'big red key' in £80k drugs raid
Cannabis plants with a street value of around £80,000 have been seized from a Telford house in a police raid.
Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276
A police officer has described the intense few minutes it took for a crime fighting team to bust a cannabis farm in Telford.
The raid, by Brookside's Safer Neighbourhood Team and the Neighbourhood Crime Fighting Team, took place at around 8.30am today at a house on Blakemore in Brookside.
The community safety engagement officer for North Telford, PC Rob Hughes, was invited along to watch the action.
"Officers made their way to the front and back of the property," PC Hughes said.
"I heard 'strike, strike, strike' over my radio and with a few hits from the 'big red key' on the front door, entry was obtained and officers charged in.
"Upon entry, I was immediately hit by a strong smell of cannabis. I could see wires coming from the electric meter and hear the unmistakable hum of fans.
"As I made my way through the property, I noticed the rooms were in darkness, however, with the little light that was available I could see rows of cannabis plants in every room.
"Two big poles were situated next to the front door; these weapons are often found at grows because other criminals are known to attempt to steal fully grown plants. This is known as 'taxing'.
"Grows can often be a fire risk due to the shoddy wiring and I was concerned for the families living either side of this mid-terraced property. We arranged for the electrical supply to the property to be turned off and capped.
"Unfortunately, in this instance no arrests were made. Our enquiries will continue."
The cannabis plants found inside were worth an estimated £80,000.
The raid is one of many cannabis grows recently taken out of action in the Telford area by the Neighbourhood Crime Fighting Team and the Safer Neighbourhood Teams.
Their work has meant that drugs worth more than £1 million of drugs has been taken off the streets in a matter of weeks.
The Brookside warrant was obtained after information received from the public regarding a possible cannabis grow within the property.
Police are asking those with concerns about suspicious activity to contact 101 or report online at westmercia.police.uk.
Information can also be passed on anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or report via their website: crimestoppers-uk.org.
