Cannabis farmers dug up Bedford pavement to get electricity

Cannabis growers dug up a pathway to connect the mains electricity to their factory inside a house, police said.

About 235 cannabis plants with a street value of up to £175,000 were found in Barkers Lane, in Bedford, on Tuesday.

The electricity supply to the house had been tampered with and the path dug up to connect electricity directly into the property via an extension cable.

Bedfordshire Police said it was "a sophisticated growth set-up" but have not said whether anyone was arrested.

Officers have urged people to be wary of bogus road and electrical works which could be linked to drugs gangs.

Det Insp Ian Holden said: "I have no doubt that the work to set this up would have caused power cuts to neighbouring properties, while even more properties had to have their power shut off for the repair work.

"If you see someone digging up a road, tampering with mains electricity and have your suspicions, I would urge you to contact police."

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