FIREFIGHTERS discovered an ‘elaborate’ cannabis farm inside an empty flat after being called out to tackle a blaze in the terraced property.

They alerted police after finding three rooms filled with around 200 cannabis plants, with a street value of tens of thousands of pounds, in Trickett’s Arcade, Burnley Road East, in the centre of Waterfoot.

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The fire broke out at around 4am yesterday and it took two crews from Rawtenstall and a crew from Hyndburn around an hour to tackle the blaze.

A spokeswoman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The ground floor of the three-storey building was on fire.

“There were four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus, and a ventilation unit, two hose reels and some lighting equipment was used.

“There were concerns about loose tiles on the roof of the building, so an aerial ladder platform was brought from Preston. The police were at the scene, and National Grid and Electricity North West were called to isolate the gas and electricity supply.

“An investigation is going to be carried out into the cause of the fire.”

A police spokesman said no arrests had been made and the owner of the property had not yet been traced.

He said: “The cannabis factory was reported by the fire service.

“They attended and extinguished the fire and found rooms full of cannabis plants. It was an elaborate set-up.”

John Buckley, 51, from Newchurch, owns the neighbouring property, which suffered smoke damage in the incident.

He said: “I’m selling it so I haven’t been around much, but I was here last week sorting the boiler.

“I couldn’t smell anything. I had no idea.

“I think the fire was caused by an overload on the electricity.

“There has been smoke damage to my house, but it could have been worse. Someone could have been killed.”

Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

n Trickett’s Arcade, opened in 1899, has eight shop spaces inside and a decorative central iron and glass feature that have been closed to the public for 50 years.