Is your neighbour growing cannabis?

Earlier this year Hampshire Constabulary shut down five cannabis factories that had been created in residential homes in Southampton.

Fifteen people were arrested and cannabis plants worth nearly £630,000 were seized. Not only were these factories producing illegal drugs that blight our communities, but the amount of electricity they were using to grow the plants was a huge fire risk that put neighbouring properties, and lives in danger.

Cannabis factories are often run by organised crime groups who reinvest the profits into other crimes, weapons, and firearms that blight our communities and cause serious harm, so the recent seizures made by police in Southampton are very important.

Officers have shared their advice on how to spot if one of your neighbours is growing cannabis. If you are concerned about any properties in your neighbourhood please report your suspicions to Hampshire Constabulary by calling 101 (always dial 999 if it’s an emergency).

1. There's a strong, sickly smell. It might sound obvious, but most cannabis growers are discovered by passers-by or keen-nosed residents catching a whiff of the drug's familiar smell.
2. High levels of condensation. If you spot condensation on the windows, even when it's not the depths of winter, it might be because the inside of the property has been turned into a makeshift greenhouse.
3. Constantly covered or blacked out windows. Are the curtains drawn all day long? Or have black-outs been put over all the windows? It might make it look like the house is unoccupied but blacked out windows could well mean inside it’s really, really bright with lots of strong lights.
4. Cannabis growing equipment transported to and from the house. Thousands of pounds worth of equipment is often needed for large-scale grows. Have you seen lots of things being delivered to a neighbouring house, or large items being taken in or out?
5. Constant buzz of ventilation. If you can hear the constant noise of a fan, at all times of the day or night, chances are it could be acting as ventilation for the cannabis.
6. Strong, constant lighting day and night. Cannabis needs light to grow, so watch out for homes with bright lighting throughout the day and night. Lights will often be on a timer switch, coming on in the middle of the night.
7. Lots of power cables and rocketing electricity bills. The lights, dehumidifiers and heaters take a lot of electricity. Growers will often hack into the electricity wires before the meter to that individual property, and so bypass having to pay for the electricity. If you are a neighbour and your bill has rocketed – maybe your next door neighbour has hacked into your mains and you're paying to grow their drugs?
8. Heat, birds on the roof, and a lack of snow. Cannabis factories produce a lot of heat, which can cause tell-tales signs, especially in winter. When it snowed last winter did you notice if one house on the street was the only one without a snow-covered roof? Birds also like roosting on a nice warm roof so look out for lots of birds choosing one roof.
9. Unsociable comings and goings. Are there lots of unfamiliar faces turning up at the house at any time of the day and night? It could just be a popular family, but maybe it's something more sinister.