Police have uncovered a cannabis farm inside a former Baptist church in Burnley, growing 600 plants worth an estimated £250,000.
Officers were able to make the discovery in the Grade II-listed building on Burnley Lane after a neighbour spotted someone trying to force entry at around 7pm on Sunday.
According to the Lancashire Telegraph, crime scene investigators have removed evidence from the scene, including plants, lamps and tin foil, but no-one has been arrested in connection with the discovery.
Inspector Steve Rides said: “We received reports of suspicious activity at 7pm from a neighbour and it looks like somebody was trying to force their way in.
“There were several hundred cannabis plants discovered and we are dismantling them.”
The cannabis was discovered in the former Sunday School section of the building, which was built on the corner of Colne Road and Hebrew Road.
The former church which dates back to 1787 was sold in 2008 when the Baptist congregation amalgamated with the nearby Methodist Church on Briercliffe Road.
A planning application to convert the site into an education and training social enterprise was reportedly lodged by Syed Ali of the Blackburn-based Peace Education Mission earlier this year, but has yet to be approved by Burnley Council.
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