A MAN has been arrested after police found about £160,000 worth of cannabis plants in a town centre home.

Officers swooped on the terraced property, in Durham Street, close to Queens Park, on Sunday night after a tip-off from the community.

About 400 plants, which are worth in the region of £400 each, were found in the property.

Sergeant Louis McCoy, said: “We have got what we believe to be a house full of cannabis. We have acted on community intelligence with our local beat officers.

“We are assessing evidential items from within the house to help our inquiries going forward.

“What we don’t need to seize will be destroyed. We will take some plants to analyse forensically.”

A man was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis after police arrived at the scene and was taken to Gablecross police station where he was helping officer with their inquiries.

Crime scene investigators were at the scene yesterday and the plants, which were being grown in four rooms, were removed.

“All the floors in the four rooms were covered with plants at varying stages of maturity,” said Sgt McCoy.

“It was a relatively professional set up, it was more than own personal use. It is a sizeable operation in terms of the quantity of plants. It is one of the bigger ones I have been to, but I wouldn’t say the biggest.”

The electricity supply to the house was stopped after the plants were found.

“The community shouldn’t worry – these aren’t popping up left, right and centre,” said said Sgt McCoy.

“The neighbourhood policing team are working with our local communities and partner agencies to tackle crime.

“This is the first I have seen in central Swindon for a number of months. This is isolated and we are not expecting these to pop up everywhere.”

James Bolton, 31, who has lived in Durham Street for five years, said: “I had no idea. To be fair the curtains are always drawn. There were different people coming in and out.

“Thing like this don’t surprise me because these things happen in any street. The person living there at the moment has been there about three months.”

Anyone with information should contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, where information can be left anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

To contact the town centre neighbourhood policing team email swindontowncentrenpt@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk or search for Swindon town centre police on Facebook.