Man arrested following discovery of large cannabis farm in Kensington

Officers have arrested a man and dismantled a cannabis farm worth more than £1 million following an incident in Kensington last night, Tuesday 17 September.

At around 9.30pm, patrols working on Operation Target saw a man leaving an address on Birstall Road, who made off. After a short foot pursuit, the man was detained in a rear garden of Clearwater Close. A small quantity of cannabis was recovered.

Following a search of the first address, around 287 cannabis plants were seized, with a potential annual yield of almost £1.2 million, and the property was made safe.

A 30-year-old man from Walton was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis and production of cannabis. He has been taken to a police station for questioning.

Matt Brown, head of our Cannabis Dismantling Team, said: "It is pleasing to see a cannabis farm of such a large scale found and taken apart, following some excellent work by our Operation Target officers. The potential risk of running such a set-up is significant, both in terms of fire, flood and attracting serious and organised crime and violence to the area.

"We also regularly act on information from our communities to identify these properties, and there are a number of ways you can spot cannabis being grown in your community. It is vital you keep coming forward so we can make your streets safer from the harms of cannabis farms."

Some of the signs that cannabis is being grown are:

Strange smells and sounds
Frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times
Gardening equipment being taken into a property, such as plant pots, fertiliser, fans and industrial lighting
Windows are sealed and covered or the curtains are permanently closed
Heat from an adjoining property
Birds gathering on a roof in cold weather
Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more sinister

Anyone with information on suspected cannabis growing in their community can contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or come forward anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and we will do the rest.

A video where Matt explains how you can spot signs of cannabis being grown where you live can be found here - https://youtu.be/rc59i2dsZHM