Nottinghamshire Police are asking magistrates for a closure order for a house in Mason Street, Sutton in Ashfield, after tenants turned it into a cannabis factory. If granted, the order will prevent anybody – including the landlord – entering the property for the duration of the order.
And the police have warned landlords to be careful about who they rent their properties to, saying that they will have to pick up the bills for repairs, waste removal, and lost revenue. And they warn that the losses could be even more significant if the premises catch fire – a possibility police say increases because of the way criminals bypass electrical meters to power equipment.
Police officers responding to intelligence reports visited the property at 11.30 am last Monday (8 March) and “were immediately confronted by a very strong smell of cannabis coming from within”, a police spokesperson said. The officers discovered that the property had been turned into “a multi-room drug factory in the short period since it was rented out”.
They found 143 cannabis plants and said that “dangerous alterations had been made in order to bypass the electric supply and considerable damage had been caused to floors, ceilings and other surfaces within the property by the haphazard installation of heating, lighting and ventilation equipment.”
They also seized a suspected dangerous dog, which they believe to be an XL Bully, from the address.
“This small residential property has essentially been turned into a drugs factory since it was placed on the rental market”, PC Ryan Frew-McGill said. “Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused inside but, ultimately, the consequences of this kind of activity could have been even worse for the landlord and the person living next-door.
“Cannabis grows of this nature are a huge fire risk which is one of the reasons we urge residents to call us immediately about any suspicions they may have.
“These kind of drug factories can also be linked to organised crime groups from home and abroad who are known to target small residential properties on the rental market.
“For that reason we urge landlords not only to be careful about who they rent their properties to, but also to carry out all routine visits and inspections to ensure their properties remain in the condition they expect.
“Because when we do find cannabis grows of this nature it is unfortunately the landlord who will be picking up the bill for repairs, waste removal, and lost revenue.”
