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Arrest follows a cannabis
farm being found in Ainsdale
MERSEYSIDE Police arrested a 48 year
old male after the discovery of a cannabis farm in Ainsdale on Thursday, 14
August 2015. At about 8pm, a Misuse of Drugs Act warrant was executed at a
premises on Briar Road, Ainsdale, following information received from the
community. Officers found 37 cannabis plants; with an estimated annual yield of
around £148,000; in a bedroom and greenhouse at the property. Sophisticated
hydroponic growing equipment was also seized. A quantity of white powder was
also discovered in the address. The 48 year old from Ainsdale was then arrested
on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and possession of Class A drugs.
Neighbourhood inspector Jim Atherton said:- "Cannabis cultivation often
brings dangers to other nearby properties. Cannabis farms are a serious fire
risk. Those who set up these farms often tamper with the electricity meters to
take electricity, and there will generally be a number of hot lamps hooked to
overloaded electricity sockets and an extensive watering system. Electricity and
water are never a good combination and the fire service have seen an increase in
the number of fires they have been called to as a result of fires caused by the
crude systems put in place by the people who set up these farms. In this case,
vital information was provided by the community and we acted on it immediately.
Our communities can help us stop these groups, who are only interested in making
money, from turning houses and flats into potential death traps. Nobody wants to
live next door to these houses and we would ask that if you believe someone is
using a property in a street for this purpose please tell us so we can take
positive action and find those responsible for setting them up."
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 any information can call Merseyside Police on:- 101 or
Crimestoppers, anonymously, on:- 0800 555 111. |
