RESIDENTS who suspect neighbours of setting up cannabis farms in their homes are being urged to shop them to the police.

Three drugs factories have been discovered in ordinary-looking Bolton houses during the past four months.

Hundreds of cannabis plants were found in two homes in Bromley Cross and the loft of a Blackrod house last month.

The latest was uncovered in Cestrian Street, Great Lever, last week, where up to £500,000 worth of cannabis was found.

Police say more could be hidden in homes and businesses across the town and have urged homeowners to help find them.

Sgt Dave Kehoe, of Bolton Police's drug unit, said: "I'm quite certain the farms we have discovered in Bromley Cross and Great Lever were set up with large amounts of money generated by crime.

"These people aren't smalltime dealers; they have connections to serious crime."

The charity DrugScope said in a report earlier this year that three similar factories were being raided every day by police in Britain as the amount of cannabis grown in the country continues to soar.

It is understood 60 per cent of cannabis smoked in Britain is home-grown, a six-fold rise from a decade ago.

Vietnamese gangs are being blamed for the increase.

Such groups are thought to be responsible for the farms in Great Lever and Bromley Cross, where about 400 plants were found in two houses in Queen's Avenue early last month.

Both houses had been fitted with hydroponic equipment similar to that at the house in Cestrian Street, where both young and mature plants were growing inside.

The plants were discovered when the landlord was called to the house by engineers who needed entry because of an electrical fault.

Two men described as Vietnamese were seen fleeing the house.

A smaller farm was found in the loft of a house in Hill Lane, Blackrod, in April, where about 50 plants had recently been harvested.

Sgt Kehoe said: "Often landlords are not aware of what's happening so we would like the public to help look out for suspicious activity."

Anybody with information is asked to contact Bolton Police's drugs unit on 0161 856 5796 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The tell-tale signs to watch out for

Police say tell-tale signs of cannabis farms being hidden behind normal-looking houses include:

  • Vents protruding through the roof or a rear windows
  • Windows permanently covered from the inside
  • Visits to the property at strange times during the day or night
  • Bags of fertiliser or gardening products being taken in to the house
  • The constant sound of fans coming from a property
  • A pungent smell coming from the premises.