Police find £800,000 cannabis factory inside historic Yorkshire building

The drugs growing operation has been dismantled after South Yorkshire Police officers became suspicious when they spotted a hole in the roof of the building on South Parade in Doncaster.

In the early hours of Monday morning (February 17), while responding to a separate incident involving a reported break-in, officers made further enquiries into The Pillar House – next door to the city’s Conservative Club - which had a noticeable hole in its roof.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “This led to the discovery of a sophisticated cannabis set up with around 900 plants being grown on different floors of the property.

“A car, which was seen fleeing from the scene of the break-in at an excessive speed, was stopped that same morning by Nottinghamshire Police, with three people arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.

"They have since been bailed pending further enquiries.”

Sergeant Martin Maw, of Doncaster Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "This was a sophisticated and significant cannabis factory hidden inside a building on the outskirts of Doncaster city centre.

"The electricity had been bypassed both inside and outside the property, posing a significant fire risk.

"Urgent repair works have had to be carried out on the roadside and exterior of the property, and the address has since been made safe following intervention by our officers.

"Cannabis factories like this one go far beyond the simple street deal and are more often than not linked to organised crime groups who are responsible for spreading violence, fear and terror in our local communities.

"We will continue dismantling these cannabis factories to make our streets and neighbourhoods safer and I would urge anyone with concerns about drug dealing, supplying or cannabis cultivations in their area to please contact us so we can investigate."