A LANDLORD whose house was repossessed after it was turned into a cannabis factory by illegal immigrants is sending a warning to others.

When Abdul Sesay rented a home in Rangefield Road, Downham, to a man claiming to be a Vietnamese restaurant owner he was told it would be occupied by the staff.

But after breaking in to the property, because the occupants had changed the locks, it was found three upstairs bedrooms were full of cannabis plants.

Police searched the house and found around 70 full grown plants, other plants in various stages of growth along with heating and lighting equipment used to grow the drug.

The power was left in such a precarious state that the road outside had to be dug up to fix the supply.

Mr Sesay could not afford the charge to get the electricity switched back on immediately after the factory was discovered last November.

This meant the 50-year-old could not rent it out so could not keep up the mortgage payments and the house has been repossessed by the Bank of Scotland.

Mr Sesay, from Erith, said: “This has been a nightmare and it has ruined our family.

“There has been stress and there has been a lot of sleepless nights.”

The security guard says he will never rent to anyone ever again.

He added: “Landlords need to check out everyone who wants to rent their house by checking their passports and identification documents.

“And they should be aware of cowboy estate agencies and only go through a recognised agency.”

Bromley police’s deputy borough commander Detective Superintendent Jo Oakley agrees.

She said: “We urge landlords to be vigilant and ensure that vigorous checks are completed on those renting.

“Regular checks to the property should be carried out and any suspicious activity should be reported to police immediately.

“We would also encourage local residents to help us by reporting any suspicious premises - there are often tell tale signs to look for, which include the windows of the property being permanently covered or blacked out, or a pungent smell emanating from inside.”