A LANDLORD said he had been left ‘shocked’ and ‘betrayed’ after he discovered a large cannabis farm at one of his properties yesterday.

Gulfaraz Zaman, the owner of Hashim Estate Agents, was told of the find after one of his employees entered the property in Accrington Road, Blackburn, where the plants were being grown upstairs.

The drug was in the front and middle bedrooms as well as the upstairs hallway and all of the windows had been blacked out.

The police attended the scene at 4.40pm but by then some of cannabis in the front bedroom had been removed after offenders had returned to the house.

Holes had been cut into the ceiling to make way for air conditioning pipes and cannabis leaves were strewn over the floor.

Mr Zaman said: “I feel very betrayed by the tenant and it’s not something you expect to find in one of your properties.

“I’m totally shocked by this and I can’t believe that the police didn’t come sooner.

“If they had arrived after I called then at 12.45pm then the plants might have all been confiscated but now half of it will be back on the market.

“It’s going to cost a lot to get this place back up to scratch because they have caused a lot of damage.

“They have damaged the walls and floors significantly and it will take a lot of money to really sort this place out.

“It will take a while to get the smell out of the building and the tenant has totally betrayed the trust that this company has placed in them.”

A police spokeswoman said: “We attended the scene at 4.40pm and found a number of cannabis plants at the property.

“We are in the process of dealing with the find and CID are investigating.”