A CANNABIS factory, capable of making hundreds of thousands of pounds for the gang running it, has been shut down by police.

Police officers found hundreds of extra-strength skunk cannabis plants growing inside the living room and three bedrooms of the semi-detached house in a quiet Stratton cul-de-sac.

Det Con Rob Hannington, from the drug squad, said the professional operation was more than likely set up by a highly-organised criminal gang.

"They would have a set-up team that come and build all the lighting and ventilation systems," he said.

"Then they would get a gardener to come in and water the plants.

"The ones we have seen in Swindon are mainly believed to be linked to a Vietnamese gang.

"The gardeners are usually illegal immigrants that they bring into the country. They get straight off a lorry and are told to stay at the house.

"If we do find anyone at the factories, which we have done on a number of occasions, then they don't even know who their bosses are.

"At this point our focus is on crime-scene investigation.

"There will be fingerprints on the electrics, and lights from when they were built and we'll take DNA swabs from any cup, bottles toothbrushes and things inside.

"People often think that cannabis factories would seem uncommon in nice neighbourhoods like these. But actually, they come up quite often, because there is less chance of the police coming by and finding it."

The haul at the house in Kipling Gardens, made up of several thousand pounds worth of plants, was discovered by neighbourhood police officers.

Upper Stratton community beat manager PC Kirsty Wilson said: "This intelligence came from information from the community.

"This house is near enough covered in cannabis plants. And it is obviously a professional operation.

"This one could have made about £250,000 a year.

"This operation shows that people from the community coming forward with anything suspicious happening around them really works.

"And we would encourage anyone who has seen something odd to phone us or speak to their local PCSO."

Inside the house plastic sheets were being used to stop light from the 47 high power lamps from seeping out, and contain the smell of the pungent plants.

Electricians from Southern Electric were called in to make the property safe for Crime Scene Investigators to remove the plants and equipment.

The electricians said the property was using £35 worth of power a day to keep the drugs growing rapidly, but had not been paying for it because they had wired straight into the mains - bypassing the meter.

More than 20 cannabis factories have been closed down in Swindon in the last 18 months.

Less than two weeks ago town centre police found a £50,000 factory in Stanier Street, Kingshill.