A cannabis factory containing up to 120 plants has been discovered at a property in Briton Ferry – after local residents tipped off police about suspicious activity.
Officers from South Wales Police obtained an emergency search warrant and forced entry to the property on Middleton Street over the weekend.
The scale of the operation became immediately apparent. South Wales Police said the smell of cannabis could be detected strongly from the street outside before officers had even entered the building.
Inside, officers found between 100 and 120 cannabis plants arranged in a commercial-scale growing operation.
Nobody was present at the property when officers arrived.
South Wales Police also said that electrical wiring at the property had been tampered with.
The force said the illegal modification posed a significant danger – not only to the property itself but to neighbouring homes on Middleton Street.
Illicit cannabis farms frequently involve bypassed electricity meters and unauthorised rewiring, which can cause fires and put residents in surrounding properties at serious risk.
South Wales Police said: “Upon entry, they were greeted with between 100 and 120 cannabis plants forming a grow which could be smelled strongly from the street. Electrical wiring had also been tampered with, posing a danger to the property and neighbouring properties.”
The cannabis factory was dismantled by officers and all plants seized.
South Wales Police confirmed an investigation is currently ongoing.
The discovery followed a tip-off from the local community. South Wales Police said officers had acted “upon information from the local community” when obtaining the emergency warrant.
It is not the first time officers have uncovered a large-scale cannabis operation in the area.
Police previously raided a secret cannabis factory hidden inside an abandoned Marks & Spencer store in Neath, while two men were jailed after a cannabis factory was discovered in Swansea.
South Wales Police has also warned landlords specifically about the risk of cannabis factories being established in rental properties without their knowledge.
Anyone with information about suspected drug activity in their area can contact South Wales Police on 101, or report it anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Information can also be submitted online at south-wales.police.uk.
