A 16-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man have been arrested after police discovered a large cannabis farm in the Chester suburbs.

The raid on the house in Woodlea Avenue, Upton, followed information received from the local community.

When officers arrived shortly after noon on Thursday (February 22) they recovered around 100 cannabis plants along with a large amount of equipment.

A police statement confirmed: “A 16-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the production of cannabis and remain in police custody.”

Detective Sergeant Nick Henderson, of Chester CID, said: “Thanks to information from the local community we have been able to seize a large quantity of drugs and prevented them from being distributed on the streets of Chester.

“This is a fantastic result and shows how important it is for the public to come forward with any information. I would encourage anyone who suspects a property is being used to cultivate cannabis to contact us on 101.”

The cannabis farm in Upton
The cannabis farm in Upton

There are a number signs that could indicate that a property is being used as a cannabis farm, these include:

■ A strong and sickly sweet smell

■ Equipment to grow cannabis being taken into a house. For example, lighting and ventilation equipment.

■ Cannabis factories often have constantly closed curtains, black-out blinds or foil coverings.

■ People coming and going at all hours or neighbours you never see.

■ Strong and constant lighting day and night.

■ High levels of heat and condensation – cannabis factories often give off heat and the windows stay misted up.

■ Constant buzz of ventilation – listen out for a whirring sound as the growers try to create an ideal climate for the plants to grow.

■ Lots of power cables – gangs dig underground to lay cables that hook up to things like lamp posts so they don’t have to pay for the enormous amounts of electricity they use.

Anyone who may have any information in relation to the discovery on Woodlea Avenue can contact Cheshire Police on 101, quoting incident 322, of February 22. Details can also be passed on anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.