A CANNABIS factory operating from a rented house on Thursley Road, Elstead, was closed down at the weekend after police received a tip-off about unusual behaviour at the property. The house, named St Gorran and situated opposite the junction of Woolford Lane, was found to contain 250 cannabis plants stashed in three bedrooms when police swooped on it on Saturday. A neighbour, who wished to remain nameless, described the moment police arrived and began throwing the plants out of an upstairs window before taking them away. "We knew something was wrong with that house as the curtains were always drawn and there was never anyone there," he told The Herald. "There was a funny noise coming from inside that sounded like a Bunsen burner but was apparently a fan that they had been using on the plants. It was very strange as nobody seemed to be living there. Every now and again we would see a couple of Oriental looking people going in and out, but that was it." The resident went on to explain that the property was rented and that the current plant-growing tenants had only been there for a month. It was the landlord of the property who had alerted the police, he said. "The owner of the house knew there was something strange going on there so he told the police. Although we're quite close to the house, we couldn't smell anything but then it had only been going for a month, the plants were only about a foot high." He described how the police "blitzed" the house and removed everything in one day. "There was a CCTV van there that they were throwing it all into so it looked as though they were using any old vehicle that they could find, but at least they looked like they knew what they were doing. The toe rags growing the stuff didn't make any money out of this one, that's for sure." Waverley neighbourhood inspector Simon Dann appealed to the public for any information regarding the suspects involved in this incident. "Cultivation of cannabis is a criminal offence and Surrey Police will not tolerate the sale and supply of illegal drugs," he said. "This discovery shows that cannabis factories are not confined to inner cities, as is often the perception. Even in a safe, leafy county like Surrey, people should be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police." He described the signs to look out for as being excessive numbers of visitors to one house and cars coming and going at all times of the day and night. "Other indications might be windows permanently covered up, unusual coloured lights inside the house, roof tiles raised for ventilation purposes or a strong herbal smell coming from the property." Anyone who may have information relating to this case is being asked to contact Surrey Police on 0845 1252222 quoting reference WV/08/1946. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously and free of charge on 0800 555111.
