A POLICE hunt is underway for a Vietnamese illegal immigrant accused of supervising a £100,000 cannabis factory in Blackburn after she failed to appear in court.

And the Crown Prosecution Service criticised the crown court judge who gave Ly Trinh bail.

Trinh was released from the crown court to an address in London on Friday, Blackburn magistrates were told on Christmas Eve.

But she was not there on Friday night when an electronic tag was due to be fitted.

The tag would have monitored whether she observed a curfew the crown court judge imposed.

Magistrates have now issued a warrant for her arrest on a charge of producing cannabis and police have launched a hunt for her.

Scott Ainge, prosecuting, told the court that Trinh had appeared before Blackburn magistrates on December 6 and December 12 and that bail applications had been rejected on both occasions.

But he said: "The crown court in its infinite, or in this case its finite, wisdom decided she was a good bail risk.

"The information I have is that the electronically monitored curfew condition never got off the ground because she wasn't there for the tag to be fitted on Friday night."

Basharat Ditta, defending, said the information he had received via Trinh's co-accused was that she was not at the address they share in Lewisham.

Trinh, 37, was arrested when police raided an address in Whalley New Road on December 4.

Officers said a utility firm had gone to check on the house because of concerns that a lot of power was being used for a property that did not pay a bill.

Staff from the firm went to the house but were unable to enter, according to a police spokesman.

Police were then alerted and they obtained a search warrant.

Officers said that they found 200 cannabis plants which they said were worth £100,000 at the terraced house.

A 44-year-old man was directed to be dealt with at Preston Crown Court and was remanded on bail until February 29 for the preparation of committal papers.