[dropcap type=”circle”]A[/dropcap]Pensby Road flat in Heswall town centre has been raided by police who discovered a cannabis farm inside.
Officers entered the flat, which sits above property rental agency Abode 2 Let, Nova restaurant and the Nice n Kleen dry cleaners, at around 2pm yesterday. They were acting in response to concerns from local people about an unusual smell in the area.
Around 15 plants and equipment were found.
A 65-year-old man from Heswall and a 38-year-old man from Wallasey Village were arrested on suspicion of cannabis cultivation and have been released pending further enquiries.
In April last year a farm with an estimated value of £500,000 was found in a house in Somerset Road in Pensby after a passerby became suspicious of the unusual odour coming from it.
When officers raided the house they found more than 120 plants in various stages of growth, along with hydroponic growing equipment. Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in sand, gravel or liquid using nutrients but no soil.
There are some common signs that cannabis is being grown in a property. These include:
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 sealed and covered or curtains permanently closed
Heat from an adjoining property
Birds gathering on a roof in cold weather
Individually these activities may not seem unusual. However, police say that one or more of them may indicate criminal activity.
Anyone with any information can call Wirral CID on 0151 777 2260, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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