400 plants found in house 'cannabis factory'

A CANNABIS factory in a terraced house in central St Leonards was discovered by police during a crackdown on violent crime.

Police discovered between 300 and 400 cannabis plants grown on all three floors of the Southwater Road home.

The find was made during Operation Resolve last week which saw police have a high visibility presence in the town.

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Three men thought to be living in the house and producing the drug, which is also known as weed, were arrested although they have not yet been charged.

The plants have been sent off by Hastings Police for testing and are being assessed as to their street value.

Inspector Martin Sims, said: "This was not for personal use. This was a cannabis-growing factory and plants were grown in the basement and on the top and middle floors. This was a very big haul."

Also during Resolve, Damien Thorne, 46, of Chapel Park Road was charged with four counts of making indecent images of children after being arrested by patrolling officers on Monday.

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He was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Hastings Magistrates Court on Monday.

There was a total of 46 arrests in total during Resolve for a variety of offences including disqualified driving and possession of drugs.

Police also worked with trading standards and they are investigating six off licences who sold alcohol to under-18s when test purchases were made. They also linked with licensed premises to help them reduce alcohol-related violence.

Senlac's commander, Chief Superintendent Dick Barton, said: "This is great stuff! The number of arrests is fantastic but really only shows one side of the story. This wasn't just a police operation but it shows what we really can do when we work together with our partners and people."