POLICE uncovered a cannabis factory containing more than 100 plants when they raided an old pub in St Mary Cray.

The Cray Valley East safer neighbourhood team burst into the premises, which has been converted into flats, and found 116 plants and drug related paraphenalia at around 11am yesterday (July 21).

An electrical engineer was called because the people responsible for the factory, in the basement just off the communal area, had overridden the electricity meter and were abstracting power directly from the mains.

The raid at the old Old Star pub at the corner of Star Lane and the High Street is the latest in a series of operations on the ward this year to crackdown on drugs related crime.

No arrests have been made to date and police enquiries are continuing.

PC Faye Carter, from the safer neighbourhood team, said: "This seizure is a fine example of police and community working together tackle the problem of illegal drug supply.

“Aside from being illegal, cannabis factories are very dangerous to surrounding properties and residents, as the tampered wiring make them highly unstable and a serious fire hazard."