A reporter from The Bolton News helped to uncover a £100,000 cannabis farm — which led to the arrest of a man accused of running it.

Julian Thorpe spoke to homeowners in Fortune Street, Burnden, after police uncovered a sophisticated drugs operation in the road yesterday morning.

When one woman said they had spotted a man moving between that property and another on an adjacent street, Julian’s detective instincts kicked in.

He took her to a nearby officer and reported his suspicions. Police raided the home in Webster Street, discovering a second set-up capable of growing 150 plants every six weeks.

Police yesterday praised Julian’s actions. Sgt Mike Jennings, who led the operation, said: “We want to thank The Bolton News for speaking to the residents, who were forthcoming with the information and helped us to locate the other property.”

Officers were initially tipped off about the suspected drugs farm by residents who reported a strong smell of cannabis behind one of the houses.

Police investigated by using a helicopter-mounted thermal imaging camera to detect heat escaping from the house in Fortune Street.

Officers forced the door at about 8.40am yesterday and found a man, believed to be Vietnamese and aged in his 20s, sleeping on a mattress in the front room.

Two rooms upstairs were filled with about 150 mature cannabis plants with a street value of about £100,000.

The second farm came to light when neighbours told Julian that they had seen a man carrying bags between the two properties.

Police moved quickly to examine the second house while they obtained a warrant, but a man inside saw them and tried to escape through the back door.

A quick-witted police officer gave chase when he heard him climbing over a fence into a neighbouring garden.

A man, also believed to be Vietnamese and in his 40s, refused to speak and was taken away in a police van.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “I’m shocked. I nearly fell out of my bed when I heard someone shout ‘one, two, three police’, then smash the door in.”

Another said: “We sometimes saw people going in with plastic bags, but we had no idea that anything like this was going on. There was a woman with kids in there once.”

Police say both houses contained sophisticated lighting and hydroponics equipment, large quantities of fertiliser and security cameras on the outside.

The electricity meters had been bypassed and thick blankets, black sheets and duct tape were used to prevent the escape of heat, light and smells.

Sgt Jennings said: “This was a sophisticated, criminally-run business and police will be making inquiries into locating the other people involved.

“We acted on the information the community provided and that led to officers raiding two properties and arresting two males.

“It’s about ‘you say, we did’. I think that’s one of our big messages.

“The public have told us and we’ve done it. They can see straight away the result of the information they have given us, and we thank them for it.”

julian.thorpe@theboltonnews.co.uk