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Scores of skunk cannabis plants with a street value of thousands of pounds were discovered in a mature and semi-mature state.

Officers from the Pudsey Neighbourhood Policing Team backed by the force's Operation Support section swooped on the Whingate Business Park after receiving information from the local community.

After a detailed briefing, officers in protective body armour surrounded the former mill complex, converted into numerous units, and stood guard while a specialist team burned off the lock to an access door to a brick building next to the old mill tower.

Inside they discovered piles of wood, metal and debris had been used to build a barricade disguising a prefabricated cannabis growing room where intensive heat producing light bulbs and hydroponic cultivation equipment were set-up.

Large bore ventilation ducting had been installed to take away the fumes and equipment to regulate the humidity was also in use.
Surprise

A second propagation room had been created using black plastic sheeting in the roof space of the 50ft-high Victorian mill above the growing area.

Other tenants at the mill looked on in surprise as the police team dismantled the barricade to reach the makeshift internal door to the darkened cultivation area.

Officers and an electricity engineer confirmed that the electricity meter to the unit had been bypassed so the growers could siphon off free energy to power the growing lamps and other equipment.

Fears that the illegal operators of the unit may have "booby trapped" the room against cannabis thieves, proved unfounded.

The growing rooms were adjacent to the mill tower used as a location point for an O2 mobile phone telephone mast.

Police forensic experts removed samples for scientific confirmation and
police scenes of crime officers photographed the inside of the cavern-like factory. Later a skip was lifted into place to remove the bulk of the factory and its output.

Sgt Joe Westerman of Pudsey NPT said that police were grateful to those who were helping supply information leading to the unearthing of organised crime, such as illegal cannabis production, and pledged to keep faith with the community to act upon such tip-offs.