A 16 year-old male arrested after almost 900 cannabis plants were found in Sefton

Merseyside officers found a cannabis farm with nearly 900 plants in a property in Waterloo after reports of a strong smell of cannabis in the local area.

At around 10.05am yesterday, Thursday 23d September, police attended at the property in South Road. Through metal bars and plastic sheeting on the windows they were able to see a growing room full of cannabis.

A search of the property uncovered 897 plants over eight rooms together with associated growing equipment.

A 16 year-old male was arrested at the scene on suspicion of production of a controlled drug Class B. He currently remains in custody.

This is the second significant find in two days with over 1000 plants recovered from a property in Anfield on Wednesday.

Matt Brown, who leads the Cannabis Dismantling Team (CDT), said: “This was the second significant discovery – with nearly 2000 plants seized in just two days.”

“We know that cannabis farms are often linked to serious criminality and their locations, frequently in residential areas, pose a real danger to neighbouring properties.” “If you spot any signs that cannabis is being grown near where you live and work please let us know so that we can continue to take action.”

A video in which Matt Brown, Head of our CDT, explains how you can spot signs of cannabis being grown near where you live can be found here - https://youtu.be/rc59i2dsZHM

Some of the signs that cannabis is being grown are: - Strange smells and sounds - Frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times - Gardening equipment being taken into a property, such as plant pots, fertiliser, fans and industrial lighting - Windows are sealed and covered or the curtains are permanently closed - Heat from an adjoining property - Birds gathering on a roof in cold weather Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more suspicious Anyone with information on suspected drug production or criminal activity in their community can contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or come forward anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.