Neighbours have shared their shock and sadness after 600 cannabis plants were found at a once grand seaside home.
Police discovered some 600 cannabis plants at Lancaster House in Lancaster Road, Great Yarmouth, following a string of raids across Gorleston.
People living nearby said the tucked-away detached house with a grand entrance flanked by columns had once been the residence for a succession of families connected with tourism.
When the last of the line died it was sold on and rented out, falling into disrepair, they said.
The discovery, on Wednesday, August 12 was greeted with dismay by residents who remembered it in its heyday.
David Bloomfield, 63, who has lived in the street all his life, said it was “a real shame” that such a lovely house had fallen on hard times.
In the last few years the garage had been knocked down and replaced with a new-build house, further shielding it from view.
Another man said there had been a number of other drug factories discovered in the area over the last few years adding: “They will grow anything anywhere.”
However, he was shocked at the scale of the operation, having seen the amount officers had brought out in bags.
The upstairs windows looked to have been boarded from the inside.
Others said there was a strong smell coming from the house with so many mature plants ready to be cut - although people had “mostly got used to it” and had stopped registering the aroma.
Officers said they arrested three people and discovered the cannabis factory after swooping on multiple homes in Gorleston.
The investigation, launched following the discovery of a cannabis farm in Hopton on April 17, led to a series of warrants being executed.
Officers raided homes in Burgh Road, Beccles Road, and Pavilion Road, seizing property under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Two men, aged 41 and 46, and a 43-year-old woman were all arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and money laundering.
All three suspects were taken to Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre for questioning and released under investigation while enquiries continue.
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