A man is due before court this morning following the discovery of a cannabis farm in Gorse Hill.

Mirjan Smakaj, 32, of no fixed address, has been charged with producing the class B drug. He has been remanded by the police and is due before Swindon Magistrates’ Court via the video link from Gablecross police station.

It follows the discovery of a cannabis farm on Omdurman Street, near St Marks Recreation Ground, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Police were called around 2.30am to reports of a burglary in progress after neighbours heard the sound of windows being smashed.

When they arrived, the police officers stumpled across a cannabis factory - with up of 20 cannabis plants growing in two rooms. A man inside the house was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis.

A car seen trying to make off from the house was stopped, with £8,500 cash found. A man, 40s, from Swindon, was arrested on suspicion of cannabis cultivation and taken to Gablecross police station.

A second car arrived at the scene. It was tailed to Barnum Court, Rodbourne, and inside was found baseball bats and mobile phones.

The driver, a man in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and possession of an offensive weapon. A property in Barnum Court was searched with drugs paraphernalia and around £1,200 cash was seized.