Disused pub used as £1.8m cannabis farm
Merseyside Police discovered a cannabis farm in the Claremont Bar, Sandy Road, Seaforth, Liverpool, with nearly 450 plants and cropped cannabis.
A search warrant was carried out at the property at 2pm on Friday 8 December, where 447 cannabis plants, plus bags of cut cannabis plants that were ready for distribution, were located and recovered by police.
Sergeant Gary Sorrell said: "Cannabis cultivation by criminal gangs can cause serious harm in our communities. Criminal groups involved in the cultivation of cannabis are usually involved in other serious organised crime and they often rent residential properties such as this.
"Our communities can help us stop these groups, who are only interested in making money, from turning houses and flats into potential death traps. Nobody wants to live next door to these houses and we would ask that if you believe someone is using a property for this purpose, please tell us so we can take positive action and find those responsible for setting them up.
"The people who set up these farms often tamper with the electricity meters to steal power, and there will generally be a number of hot lamps hooked to overloaded electricity sockets as well as an extensive watering system.
"Electricity and water are never a good combination, and the fire service have seen an increase in the number of fires they have been called to as a result of fires caused by the crude systems put in place by the people who set up these farms.”
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
