A HUGE cannabis factory uncovered following a routine burglary call was larger than police first estimated and took more than a day to dismantle.

Officers worked solidly for hours to remove 1,700 plants from the disused industrial unit on Cheney Manor Industrial Estate this weekend, after response units made the discovery upon arriving at what they thought was a burglary late on Thursday night.

A police source said the street value of the class B drugs could now be more than £1m, as work continued to dismantle all electrical equipment rigged up as part of the production line the gang had established.

It is one of the biggest cannabis seizures in the town’s recent history, second only behind a raid at Poplar Farm, Wanborough, to smash a £25m drugs ring smuggling the class B substance in with fresh flowers.

Witnesses are still being sought as detectives try and trace who was responsible, as no one was on scene when officers arrived even though there were rudimentary living quarters.

Det Sgt Joe Saunders said: “We are pleased that we, along with the member of the public who phoned us, have stopped a huge amount of cannabis making it on to the streets of Swindon.

“We would like to hear from anybody who knows anything that could help our inquiry.”

Anyone with any information should contact Swindon CID on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.