11:30am Tuesday 7th September 2010
THE gardener behind a large factory in one of Accrington's most affluent districts has been jailed for two years.
The drugs farm was discovered in a property disguised to look like a family home in May.
More than 400 plants, worth around £150,000 were found in the detached property in Royds Avenue, near Haworth Art Gallery.
Vietnamese Hoamg Vu, 36, of no fixed address, admitted producing cannabis between May 10 and 26. The defendant will face automatic deportation when he has served his sentence.
Police said the three-bedroomed property had been made to look like a family was living there, with mown lawns at the front and back as well as children’s toys placed in one of the front windows and a tricycle on the driveway.
Residents on the leafy street, near Hollins Lane and Newton Drive, were stunned at the discovery.
It is thought that the factory had been operating for several months.
The home had been converted so that three large rooms could be used to grow the drugs and a sophisticated watering, lighting and ventilation had been put in place.
Speaking at the time PC Martin Midgley said: “You do not expect to find a factory of this size in an area like Royds Avenue.
"That is why the gangs choose a place like this."
Police said that the power supply to the house had been tampered with to bypass the meter and in each room a network of lights and fans were powered by huge collections of plug sockets.
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