A cannabis farm worth £250,000 has been uncovered in New Brighton.
Police recovered 65 plants from five rooms on three floors at two flats on Egerton Street on Monday following the execution of drugs warrant.
The plants were recovered alongside growing equipment and the electricity at the property was found to have been illegally bypassed.
Officers secured the area to recover the cannabis and forensically examine the scene.
Sergeant Kevin Coakley said: “Every cannabis farm seized marks a significant step in our efforts to disrupt the activities of criminals growing cannabis in Merseyside.
“Cannabis cultivation by criminal gangs brings misery to our communities as we know criminal groups involved in the cultivation of cannabis are usually involved in other serious and often violent organised crime.
“The growing of cannabis also threatens the safety of neighbouring properties because cannabis farms are a serious fire risk.
“Electricity and water are never a good combination, and fires have been caused by the crude systems put in place by the people who set up these farms.
“Our communities can help us stop these groups, who are only interested in making money, from turning houses and flats into potential death traps.
“Nobody wants to live next door to these houses and we would ask that if you believe someone is using a property for this purpose, please tell us so we can take positive action and find those responsible for setting them up.”
Some of the signs that cannabis is being grown are:
• Strange smells and sounds
• Frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times
• Gardening equipment being taken into a property, such as plant pots, fertiliser, fans and industrial lighting
• Windows are sealed and covered or the curtains are permanently closed
• Heat from an adjoining property
• Birds gathering on a roof in cold weather
• Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more sinister
Anyone with any information can call police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.