Remains of cannabis factory found in Shropshire road

The rubbish, including the remains of plants and a greenhouse heater, was discovered by a member of the public at the Hay Meadow in Tilstock, near Whitchurch. It was discovered in bin bags and cardboard boxes and was removed by Shropshire Council yesterday.

Police and witnesses said there did not appear to be any cannabis in the pile of waste, just the equipment used to grow it.

Elizabeth Stubbs, who found the mess, said there was a strong, distinctive smell on the site.

"I was out walking my dog last Tuesday when I found it," she said.

"There was one cardboard box which was full of bits of twigs, which was obviously the remains of the plants.

"There were about a dozen bin bags which had fibre pots. You could smell it.

"There was also a greenhouse heater. It was at this point I thought it was something suspicious.

"It was a bit of a crash course on how to grow cannabis!"

Richard Ewels, a spokesman for West Mercia Police, said: "We were notified by a member of the public on Wednesday that some material had been dumped at the Hay Meadow, Tilstock.

"This included bin bags and a couple of cardboard boxes containing plant material, which is suspected to be cannabis.

"Shropshire Council was contacted by police before 9.20am the following day which initially said it was up to the landowner to remove the material, but has since said it would remove it.

"Police have inspected the contents and have appealed for any information as how it came to be there."

Simon Alton, a spokesman for Shropshire Council, confirmed the items had been removed yesterday.

Anyone with any information can call Whitchurch Police Station on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

By James Pugh