Cannabis farm found after fire in Wallasey
Officer says the fire caused was the worst he's ever seen
Police are appealing for information after a cannabis farm caught fire at an address in Wallasey on Tuesday evening
Firefighters from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were called to a fire at a flat above a shop in Mill Lane at around 8.30pm and when they forced entry to the property they discovered the cannabis farm.
They seized around 105 plants, with an estimated annual yield of around £42,000, along with the relevant growing equipment. The farm was located across four rooms and the electricity was also found to have been illegally bypassed.
Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and locate those responsible.
Cannabis Dismantling Team Sergeant, Gary Sorrell said: "The fire caused during this incident is one of the worst I have seen and is a stark reminder of the danger cannabis farms can bring.
Significant damage has been caused to the property and the shop below, and it’s extremely lucky that no-one was injured or killed.
"Cannabis is not a harmless drug. It is produced and sold by serious organised crime groups and is extremely potent and can causes health problems for users, especially young people.
"Cannabis farms also pose a serious risk to other residents. This farm was discovered after MFRS were called to a fire at the property."
"Quite often these farms pose a fire risk as those who have set up the cannabis farm will tamper with electricity to avoid detection, set up their own electrical systems and overload sockets. Their actions are reckless and they don't care that the lives and wellbeing of other members of the public are being put at risk."
"It is in everyone’s interests to help the police put these drugs farms out of businesses and this discovery shows how farms can be hidden right in the very heart of our communities."
"I would urge the public to help us find those who were responsible for setting up this cannabis farm. And I would also urge residents who think there is a cannabis farm near to them to report it."
"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.”