Neighbours have been left in shock after electricity was "crudely" bypassed to a house storing tens of thousands of pounds worth of cannabis. One resident says the bills would likely have been "pretty intense" had they not amid the worsening cost of living crisis in the UK.
Nottinghamshire Police raided a property in Norman Drive, Hucknall, just after 12midnight on Saturday, June 4, where almost 100 cannabis plants were discovered. Gloves used by officers and a broken door lock now lie on the ground outside a property on the street following the operation.
The force says the electrics had been bypassed and posed a danger to people's safety. Outside a property the pavement had been dug up and closed to the public.
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Will Moss, who had just moved into the street, told Nottinghamshire Live: "There were quite a few police vans. We had just moved into the area and we did not know the neighbours.
"There was no trouble or strange noises. I was confused. They have dug up the front of the house. After the police left two electrical vans came. Your electric bill would be pretty intense."
Another resident, who moved on to Norman Drive in the 1980s, described the incident as "scary". The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "It is a very quiet area as a rule.
"Normally there is nothing like that happening around here. It is scary but it is happening everywhere these days."
And another neighbour recalled the raid going "smoothly", with little commotion in the early hours of Saturday morning. The police have since left the scene.
According to the force the plants had been spread across multiple rooms inside the property. They were taken away and destroyed and an array of growing and electrical equipment was put beyond use.
Sergeant Andy Crosby, of the Ashfield neighbourhood policing team, added: “Cannabis cultivation is a serious offence that is often linked to organised criminality and a range of related offences – from significant incidents of violence to people trafficking.
“Cannabis grows themselves are also extremely dangerous. In this and in others we have found the electrics had been crudely bypassed and posed a clear risk to safety.
“We take any reports we receive very seriously and won’t hesitate to take action where we think there is evidence of a cultivation This was a significant grow that had clearly taken somebody a lot of time and money to set up. I am pleased it has now been disrupted and a significant quantity of drugs taken off the streets.”
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