Police find cannabis factories

Police uncovered the plants at a house in the Pinehurst area

Three cannabis factories have been discovered by police in Wiltshire.

The discovery of 1,000 plants with a street value of £150,000 was made at a house in the Pinehurst area of Swindon.

But a member of the public also tipped off police to two "factories" in Calne, disguised as ordinary businesses on the Porte Marsh industrial estate.

The Calne raids are not linked to the find in Swindon and two men have been arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis.

Wiltshire police say the set-up in Swindon was "very professional" and suspect that the operation has been funded by a gang from outside of the town.

'Disrupting money'

PC Conrad Ball, from Wiltshire police, said of the factory in Swindon: "Every room had a large amount of cannabis plants in it and lighting.

"There was a vast amount of bags of fertiliser. It is the biggest one I've been to in recent times. Every room had cannabis growing in it and it's a large house.

"You've got to remember that even though we're looking at a class C drug - connected to that is other crime - people trafficking and prostitution, crimes like assault and robbery.

"All the money goes towards gangs and whatever other dealings they have so it's disrupting the money they gain from cultivating illegal drugs."