DRUGS with a street value of half a million pounds were seized in a crime squad raid on a derelict mill in Accrington town centre.

Four people are being questioned after drug squad officers recovered 600 "powerful" cannabis plants found in various stages of growth inside the upstairs room of the 9,000 square foot Old Mill which is only a stone's throw away from Accrington Police Station.

Detective Superintendent Tom McAlister said: "This is an extremely successful police raid. This is a substantial seizure of 600 plants which would yield a street value of half a million pounds and be sold in Lancashire and the surrounding districts. There is an indication that these plants have been cultivated for some time."

Twelve officers from the North West branch of the Regional Crime Squad raided the property, in an operation codenamed Agrarian, and found rows upon rows of the plant being grown hydroponically.

These plants are believed to be the most powerful and expensive type of cannabis known as skunk. A crime squad officer said: "This is the strongest type of cannabis and this type of cultivation is becoming the rave at the moment. It is a lot more valuable, powerful and is expensive to buy. These plants are springing up all over the place. Profits from them are far greater than importing resin from Pakistan or Morocco."

Forensic science officers spent the day at the property on Mount Street while further house searches were undertaken.

A worker from the nearby Victoria Business Centre said: "This news has come as a big surprise."

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