TWO suspected cannabis growers were Tasered by police before a raid in which more than £15,000 of plants were seized from a Harwood farm.

Police were responding to a burglary call when two men were spotted running away from Height’s Farm in Roading Brook Road at about 8.40pm on Saturday night.

They chased the two men, using a dog and a Taser before arresting the men, aged 42 and 46, on suspicion of growing cannabis.

The drugs were found in a 40-foot high storage container on private land leading up to Height’s Farm.

Police found 38 plants with an estimated street value of £15,200.

A police spokesman said: “When we got there, two men were getting into a vehicle and when they saw us, they tried to run away.

“Officers used a police dog and a Taser to arrest the suspects before they could escape."

An eyewitness said a third man managed to escape but a police spokesman said they were not looking for anybody else in connection with the raid.

The land where the cannabis containers were found was described by nearby residents as a wasteland where rubbish is dumped.

One local business owner said he was anxious customers realised the plants had nothing to do with his company.

Stephen Ward, owner of Height’s Farm Premium Pet Foods, said: “We don’t want our name tainted with this as we are a family business.

“We operate out of buildings at the top of the farm and this was found on land leading up to Height’s Farm.”

Both men arrested have been granted police bail until May 25 while police investigate.

The Harwood discovery comes just a week after the raid of a house in Springfield Street, Great Lever, where more than £100,000 of cannabis was discovered.

Police arrested a man and a woman, thought to be in their 30s and Vietnamese, on suspicion of cannabis production and abstracting electricity.

Anyone who has information about drugs in the north of Bolton can call police on 0161 8565761 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.