CANNABIS farms worth more than £1 million have been uncovered in Birkenhead thanks to information from the community.

Since April this year, the neighbourhood policing team has seized a total of 1,169 cannabis plants from 11 addresses in the Birkenhead area, as part of the 7 Beats Project.

A cannabis farm estimated to be worth more than half a million pounds was discovered by police in a disused community centre in Church Road last week.

Investigations into this and the other seizures are still on-going and 10 arrests have been made to date.

Sergeant Catherine Squire said: "£1 million is a conservative estimate of how much cannabis we’ve taken off the streets. This could not have been done without information provided to us by the community.

"What this shows is that cannabis farms can be grown anywhere. The people involved in its cultivation are part of highly organised groups, involved in serious organised crime that fuels further crime and violence.

"Nobody wants to live next door somewhere that is cultivating cannabis and I would like to continue to urge people that if they believe someone is using a property to do just this, to tell us so that we can take positive action and find those responsible.

"This could be reporting suspicious activity or passing on information in relation to a building that you suspect is being used to grow cannabis in. It could even be reporting a strange smell emanating from a property.

Information from members of the public is vital in the fight against drug-related crime."

The 7 Beats Project was set up at the beginning of June to target the seven most affected police beats for crime and disorder on the Wirral.

Anyone with any information is urged to call Merseyside Police on 101. Information can also be passed anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.


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

• Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more sinister.