Police in Blackpool and the Fylde coast have shut down six cannabis farms in just a few weeks
Police in Blackpool and the Fylde coast have uncovered no less than six cannabis farms in the past few weeks alone, estimated to have a value of millions of pounds.
Criminal gangs from outside the area are targeting empty properties, many of them in the heart of Blackpool’s tourism industry.
Among these half dozen properties, two were empty hotels on Blackpool seafront, which in their prime would have offered much-sought after sea views.
Instead they were empty and targeted for the criminals to set up the large scale farms consisting of hundreds of plants.
However, the lucrative trade comes with risks, with a total of eight men facing drugs-related charges, four others arrested and one man transfered to the immigration service, while two were released without further action being taken.
Where were the cannabis farms found?
*Four men were arrested and have been charged with production of a Class B controlled drug – cannabis - after a huge growing factory was found inside an industrial unit in Squires Gate Lane on November 30. This farm was found to have a massive value of £4 million.
*On the same day (Saturday November 30), police were alerted to a cannabis grow inside the former 36-bed Coastal Bay Hotel on the Promenade, near the junction with Alexandra Road, on November 30. No further details have yet been released by Lancashire Police.
*On Tuesday November 26 police were called to reports that the empty Amber Banks Care Home on Clifton Drive, South Shore, was in the process of being set-up for cannabis growth on November 26. Three men were arrested - two of them later released with no further action and a third, aged 36, was transferred to the immigration services.
*Four people were arrested after a large cannabis farm was found in an empty hotel in Blackpool’s South Shore. Officers were called to the New Mayfair Hotel, on New South Promenade, on November 20 and found around 600 cannabis plants.
*A cannabis farm worth £75,000 was uncovered during a drugs raid at property on Sherbourne Road, North Shore, Blackpool on October 24. Some 90 plants spread across three rooms were subsequently discovered after officers entered this property.
*Down the road in Fleetwood, another four men were charged with production of cannabis. after a large farm worth £2.3m was found in the former Barneys Bingo Hall on Station Road in the port.
Richard Hunt
What police say
Police said: “The cultivation of cannabis might seem like a minor offence, but it actually hides a lot of dangers, including the risk of fire.
“Your vigilance can help us shut down cannabis farms. Do you know what to look for if a house or other building in your area is being used to produce illegal drugs?
“Every day, police across the UK discover about 21 cannabis farms or factories. Nationwide, the threat from the domestic commercial cultivation of cannabis is increasing - in recent years there has been an increase in robberies, burglaries and violence linked to cannabis farms.”
If you suspect a property is being used in the production of cannabis, look out for signs of:
- A strong, pungent smell coming from the property
- Electrical wiring that has been tampered with
- Beware of booby traps. Electrical wiring may have been rigged up to door handles etc.
- Powerful lights left on in the house throughout the night
- Windows blacked out
- A sudden jump or increase in the cost of electricity bills
- Scuffed paint or wallpaper
- Large quantities of bin bags, full of vegetable material thrown away
- Rewiring efforts or by-passed circuitry
If you notice some or all of the above or are worried about drugs in your area, call police on 101, or if you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or report it online at https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk/.
Always call 999 in an emergency.