Drugs squad raids nets two guinea pigs

A small army of six officers in three vehicles rushed to the home of Pam Hardcastle, who was shocked to receive a call from her mother telling her the police were asking her to return from work.

The officers had been alerted when a police helicopter picked up a hotspot on the roof of Mrs Hardcastle's garage and assumed it was a drugs den, when in fact it was a cosy home for her pets.

Mrs Hardcastle, 42, a primary school learning mentor, was forced to return home to Bradford after officers from West Yorkshire Police obtained a search warrant and mounted a raid with the intention of uncovering a specialist heating system designed to grow cannabis.

She said: "The officer said they wanted me to go home. He said my garage lit up when the police helicopter was out and they believed I could be growing cannabis. He said they had a warrant and they wanted to search my premises.

"It was unbelievable. My mum told them I had guinea pigs in the garage and would have a heater in there to keep them warm. But they cut a bolt off my neighbour's gate to gain entry.

"My neighbours told me police were everywhere. Everybody was asking what I had done wrong. It is embarrassing."

The two guinea pigs, Simon and Kenny, belonging to Mrs Hardcastle's 10-year-old son Jack, had lived in her garage for three months and she had put the heater inside because she was concerned they would get cold.

She said: "I have no criminal record. I haven't even got an unpaid bill. I told the police I was squeaky clean and they said they knew, but they wanted to look in the garage.

"When I opened it up and they saw the guinea pigs, they didn't say anything. They were in the garage two seconds and they left. People are now wondering what I've been up to, it's like I've been branded a drug dealer.

"I have contacted a solicitor because I am concerned I might now have a criminal record. I am worried that this would come up on a CIB check if I went for another job. People think there's no smoke without fire."

Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector Darren Brown said: "The majority of operations of this nature are intelligence-based and often rely upon swift action.

"Due to the location of the garage, we could not make further observations without alerting the occupants. On this occasion, it transpired that the significant heat source coming from the property was not connected to the production of cannabis.

"Officers who attended explained the full circumstances to the occupant and discussed any damage. I would like to apologise for the distress this may have caused. However, I would point out that these tactics are essential in tackling drugs across the district.

"I can also reassure the occupants that their details will not be kept on police records and I will be personally visiting them to discuss any concerns they may have."

Mrs Hardcastle said that a police inspector had now visited her to issue an apology in person and the police had bought a new lock for the neighbour's gate.