Two men today admitted helping to run a cannabis factory in a Shropshire village which housed drugs with an estimated street value of more than £120,000.

Ten officers raided an industrial unit on the site of Central Garage in Alveley, near Bridgnorth, in December last year and discovered the haul.

Lee Fallows and Stuart Thomas today admitted being concerned with the growth of 181 cannabis plants, at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Fallows also admitted a charge of resisting a constable in the execution of her duty.

Fallows, 28, of Albert Street, Tipton, near Wolverhampton, and Thomas, 28, of Baileys Close, Bilston, near Wolverhampton, were charged following the raid on December 10.

Judge Robin Onions remanded both men in custody to be sentenced in April and warned them he was “keeping all options open”.

Following the hearing, Detective Inspector Gavin Kinrade praised officers for halting a large-scale and illegal operation.

He said: “We are very satisfied with the outcome and we will now await the judge’s sentence.

“It was a good piece of work by members of Shropshire’s police and it shows an ability to tackle that type of criminality, particularly from individuals coming across from the West Midlands.

“This was a large commercial enterprise. The plants have been destroyed and I am sure the judge will make a forfeiture order on the cannabis so it is a really good result.”

Mr Kinrade stressed the cannabis factory, though situated on the site of Central Garage, was not connected to the two legitimate businesses based at the location.