Cannabis plants worth more than £1.1 million have been seized by police in Cambridgeshire thanks to a tip-off from local residents.

Acting on information received from members of the public, officers visited two outbuildings off Babraham Road in Shelford Bottom on Tuesday September 26.

There, they found 1,375 plants of varying sizes.

One man aged 37 from Shelford Bottom was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis. He has since been bailed to return to the police station in December.

Ely Standard: The cannabis factory was discovered at two outbuildings off Babraham Road in Shelford Bottom.The cannabis factory was discovered at two outbuildings off Babraham Road in Shelford Bottom. (Image: Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

Sergeant Amanda Rossiter, from the Neighbourhood Support Team, said: “Thanks to information from the community, this illegal drug will no longer reach the streets.

“With the help of local residents we will continue to tackle and dismantle cannabis factories and make clear to criminal groups that our county is a hostile environment for them in which their trade is neither welcome or tolerated."

Here are some key signs to spot a property that could be being used as a cannabis factory:

  • Frequent visitors to a property at unsocial hours throughout the day and night
  • Blacked out windows or condensation on the windows, even when it is not cold outside
  • Bright lights in rooms throughout the night
  • Electricity meters being tampered with/altered and new cabling, sometimes leading to street lighting. High electricity bills can also be an indicator
  • A powerful, distinctive, sweet, sticky aroma and noise from fans
  • Lots of work or deliveries of equipment to an address, particularly those associated with growing plants indoors without soil such as heaters and lighting
  • An excessive amount of plant pots, chemicals, fertilisers and compost

Anyone with information about a potential cannabis factory or drug dealing can contact police online www.cambs.police.uk or call 101.

People can also contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.