More than 600 cannabis plants found in disused restaurant

We have found more than 600 cannabis plants inside a disused restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent.

Officers went to Swan Square in Burslem at 4.20pm yesterday (Thursday 12 September) following intelligence that the site was being used as a cannabis grow.

When officers forced their way through the front door, they discovered that the rest of the doorways inside had been replaced with brickwork. They also found a dangerous electricity bypass at the site which had started to melt some of the wiring, causing a significant fire safety risk.

Our colleagues from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service came to make sure the area was safe and help officers access the inside of the building.

We then found an active cannabis grow, including lights and transformers, spanning four separate rooms. A total of 683 plants were found and are being cleared.

An investigation has been launched.

If you’ve got any information that can help with our investigation, get in touch by calling 101, quoting incident 406 of 12 September, or use Live Chat on our website.

To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Stoke North Inspector Victoria Ison said: “These types of grows are often linked with serious criminal networks and usually involve the exploitation of vulnerable people who run the grows on behalf of career criminals.

“Local officers are acting on intelligence and carrying out regular enforcement activity across the city to go after these organised groups and to stop those at risk of exploitation being forced into criminality.”

We recently worked with the BBC and former-SAS leader Billy Billingham to target the groups responsible for setting up dangerous cannabis grows across Stoke-on-Trent.

The episode airs on BBC1 at 10.45am on Thursday (19 September) next week.

To see more of the work we’re doing in local communities to target criminals and protect the public, make sure to tune in.