‘Substantial’ Cannabis Farm Found In Village

Police have uncovered a cannabis farm inside a three-bedroom detached house in an upmarket part of a quiet suburban village.

Grampian Police’s drug squad raided the house at the weekend after receiving a tip-off, and removed various items from the property, including a “substantial number” of plants. The force said no-one has been charged in connection with the discovery.

The raid has shocked neighbours in Bakersfield Close, a cul-de-sac in the village of Newmachar in Aberdeenshire.

Detective Inspector Colin Walker, the head of the drugs squad, said: “Not only is it illegal to cultivate cannabis, but to do so within a domestic property poses serious fire hazards. In these type of cultivations a lot of heat is required in conjunction with water to nurture the plants.

“In effect, the house is converted into a greenhouse, often bypassing the electrical supply and feeding directly from the mains.”

Det Insp Walker urged landlords, leasing agents and property developers to be extra vigilant of any suspicious activity in properties they own and for neighbours to pass on any suspicions to police.

A Grampian Police spokesman said several cannabis cultivations had been discovered in the north-east of Scotland over the past few years.

The owner of the Newmachar house is understood to live abroad and the building, believed to be worth about £250,000, is being managed by an Aberdeen-based property company. Yesterday, the blinds and curtains of the windows were left drawn.

One neighbour said: “You can never tell what is happening behind closed doors. You never think of these things happening in Newmachar.”

Other residents believed the house had been occupied by a couple who appeared to be Chinese, but said they had only seen the man.