POLICE are warning landlords in Crewe and Nantwich to ensure their property does not become a cannabis factory.

They say anyone renting out a house, commercial property or industrial units needs to be sure they know who they are dealing with and know exactly what the premises will be used for.

Landlords who discover criminals have turned their premises into a cannabis factory are likely to face repair bills running into tens of thousands of pounds and find themselves at the centre of a lengthy police investigation.

The warning comes after the discovery of a cannabis production plant in a former town centre restaurant in Crewe.

The entire building had been adapted with irrigation systems and heaters.

Plants which would have yielded £150,000 worth of cannabis were removed and destroyed and a man was arrested.

Just days before, officers found the debris from another, similar cannabis factory in a house in Crewe.

Sergeant Adam Butt, from Crewe Neighbourhood Policing Unit said: "Cannabis farms are not just cases of a few local people making some money on the side.

"This is organized crime with a turnover of millions of pounds and operated by gangs who are often based in the Far East.

"When they take over a property they are only interested in how much cannabis it can produce.

"They will knock huge holes in walls and ceilings for extractor fans; they will channel the floors to lay irrigation piping, they will hang massive heater units from the ceilings.

"Their electricity supply will usually by-pass the meter and the wires will be everywhere.

"The system will be overloaded and with the heat that builds up because the walls are covered in tin foil the building becomes an enormous fire hazard.

"The premises will be permanently hot and damp, and used soil, compost and rotting plants are simply dumped in rooms and left there.

"Basically, they will wreck the property.

"These criminals do not care about that. They only care about making money."

Sergeant Butt said landlords need to be suspicious about people who offer more than the market rent for property and want to pay in cash.

He added: "If they ask the landlord how often he intends to visit the property, that should be another warning signal.

"Make sure you know exactly who your tenants are and what they intend to do with the property and check it out.

"Call at the premises from time to time. Be very suspicious if they won’t let you in or have changed the locks."