Late edition due to hidden cannabis farm discovery

THIS edition of Southport and Mersey Reporter has been delayed due to our office having to have its power shut down for safety reasons, following the discovery of an enormous cannabis farm within the administration offices of a former Southport care home, Barton Park. Police raided the property on the corner of St Georges Place and Post Office Avenue, on:- 12 September 2023, following the discovery that the front door of the property has been smashed in and a smell was noticed.

The discovery by Merseyside Police resulted in the specialist Cannabis Dismantling Team (CDT) being called in. Following an assessment of the property they found the power to the property had been tampered with, leading to a very dangerous situation. The tampered electricity supply and evidence of water damage inside the building created a very real fire risk for anyone unlucky enough to live or work nearby. This lead to that building and the a joining building, having to have the electricity supply be switched off. Also the electricity and water damage areas of the property were made safe, and the plants along with equipment to be removed.

The cost of this operation was amazing, as it resulted in half of Post Office Ave being dug up, to allow the area to be made safe again. This raid and the discovery has shocked all those in the area and has resulted in serious concerns about how such a high profile location could have been used, let allow set up and run. Shockingly, back in June 2022, Police had discovered another cannabis farm, within the old Post Office, on following complaints about the smell coming from it. The Post Office building, just metres down the road, in 2021 and in 2022, was also found to have had plants inside. This new discovery has lead to worries from local businesses and residents that the properties within the area are being targeted by drug gangs.

Many people think that growing cannabis is a harmless crime, but criminal gangs involved in cannabis farms are also involved in serious organised crime, which brings significant harm to our communities. This episode has had a massive impact on our business and that of the surrounding businesses. We would like to thank Scottish Power and Merseyside Police for helping us to get our systems back online quickly and safely. Thankfully, this raid has resulted in an extremely dangerous situation being removed.

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 suspicious.

Anyone with information on suspected drug production or criminal activity in their community can contact them on Twitter, call:- 101 or come forward anonymously to Crimestoppers on:- 0800555111. Always call:- 999 if a crime is in progress.

As a result of the delay of our publication, we will be an adding extra edition in a few days, with more Air Show coverage.

The 2023 Southport Air Show has been blasted as a "total shambles"

THE Southport Air Show has been regarded as 1 of the be best in the country, until this year. A series of issues has lead to a huge amount of complaints online, with people asking questions about safety issues, as to why many of the display flying on the Saturday was cancelled. The event was held over:- 9 September to the 10 September 2023. Frustratingly, weather throughout the Region lead to many of the aircraft on the Saturday being withdrawn. The situation was made more complex following the incursion into the exclusion area by members of the public, along with a kite being flown! Sunday's flying program was far better, despite the surrounding thunderstorms. Annoyingly, the rain and tide lead to the beach being unusable for parking, resulting is traffic problems, as well as issues for those walking on the beach. But we do think it is also important to acknowledge that what was on offer, both in the air and on the ground was good, especially the Typhoon and the Field Gun firing. These are only a few photos, along with a bit of video we took of this event. Due to the unrelated incident in our road, we have not had a chance to put all the images up yet, and will be adding more later this week within an extra catch-up edition. Please find a few more photos on the next 2 pages within this edition. Let us know your thoughts about this event by emailing our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter.