Police raid unearths 350 cannabis plants at Essex industrial unit

A cannabis farm has been closed down after officers discovered hundreds of plants in an out of town industrial unit.

Essex Police found the illegal haul after forcing open a door into the unit at Noble Square, Pitsea, at 8.30am on Saturday 10 February.

Officers from the Basildon Community Policing Team conducted the search and unearthed more than 350 cannabis plants at various stages of growth and hydroponic equipment and lights.

The plants will be destroyed and currently, no arrests have been made. No-one was discovered in the unit.

District Commander Dan Hughes said: "We know it’s a concern, but today we’ve stopped over 350 cannabis plants from eventually hitting our streets, causing issues for our residents and businesses through the related anti-social behaviour that drugs bring with them.

"It’s thanks to the public and the information that they give us, that we can proactively tackle drug issues so I’d encourage anyone who knows who was involved in this or any other cannabis grows to contact us and we will act upon it.

"Tackling drugs and drug cultivation is a priority for my teams across the south of Essex and our community can be reassured we will always act on any information received."

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