In pictures: Man arrested and machete seized in dawn raid on cannabis factory in Telford
Police arrested a 39-year-old man and seized a machete in a dawn raid on a cannabis factory in Telford.
Officers say plants with a street value in the "thousands of pounds" were seized as evidence during the raid and the power company was called in to make safe the power supply to the property in Ketley.
Sergeant Richard Jones of West Mercia Police's safer neighbourhood team in the Donnington and North East Telford area said they had been reacting to "good quality information" from the community. Eight officers were involved in the raid on Friday morning, which also saw a machete seized.
"It is all part of our day-to-day job," said Sgt Jones. "It is not an increasing problem but it is something that we need to keep on top of. We carry out this kind of raid on a regular basis.
"There were plants in virtually every room and the house was like a sauna. There is evidence that the grower had been illegally abstracting electricity."
Sgt Jones said the community is key to policing drugs and other problems in the community. He added that sometimes cannabis factories have used child slave labour which gives them an extra dimension and includes the involvement of social services.
The sergeant thanked the community for providing crucial intelligence in this and other cases.
"The drugs themselves cause serious harm in the community, including with antisocial behaviour that goes with their cultivation and supply," said Sgt Jones.
"We do not want the dangers of this kind of activity out in the community. It is vital that we work with the community."
He also warned of the dangers associated with tampering with electricity, which is a hallmark of cannabis factories, where the power is used to generate heat and light. As well as posing dangers for occupants and neighbours it also means police officers can be at risk, he said.
"There are a lot of side issues with some cannabis factories, but not this one. We will go to cases sometimes and there will be a kid from Albania who is kept as no more than a slave. Then we will have a different problem."
