Laura Bagshaw THE kitchen worktop remains untouched and plastic sheeting still covers a top quality oven range. However it is not the meticulous cleaning habits of the tenants which have left the newly fitted kitchen in tip-top condition.

Laura Bagshaw

THE kitchen worktop remains untouched and plastic sheeting still covers a top quality oven range. However it is not the meticulous cleaning habits of the tenants which have left the newly fitted kitchen in tip-top condition.

None of the appliances has ever been used and the house has been turned into a sophisticated cannabis factory.

The drugs den, containing almost 1,000 plants, was uncovered on Monday when a Caister landlord visited his Yarmouth Road property, having not been paid rent for almost three months.

To his astonishment the four-bedroom home had been transformed into a

hi-tech cannabis factory with high voltage heat lamps and a sophisticated watering system.

Electrics in the property have been damaged beyond repair as operators have illegally tapped into the supply. Costly renovation work has been wrecked with carpets, ceilings and newly painted walls left in ruins.

It comes less than two weeks after police seized 1,580 cannabis plants from the Waverley Hotel, on Princes Road, in Great Yarmouth, which is currently being renovated.

Monday's find in Caister prompted Sgt Andy Brown to appeal for information from members of the public as properties in Yarmouth become increasingly targeted by drug gangs for use as growing houses.

And Sgt Brown, from the local safer neighbourhood team, said it was possible the two recent finds could be connected.

He said: “We would urge people to look out for drawn curtains and condensation on windows. The heat produced by these lamps would have caused a lot of moisture on the windows.”

Sgt Brown said it was unusual to find such a sophisticated operation in Caister and said people coming and going from a property was another sign for neighbours to look for.

“I would ask shops to be aware of people buying bulk fertiliser,” said Sgt Brown.

The home has been left in ruins with holes drilled into the ceilings for ventilation in a bid to get rid of the smell from the powerful skunk plants. Planks of wood were put up at a downstairs bay window to block out light from the heat lamps, which were timed on a 12-hour rota. Police believe the plants have produced about four crops.

Anyone with information should contact Sgt Andy Brown at Caister police station on 0845 456 4567.