A SOPHISTICATED cannabis factory holding £200,000 worth of plants may never have been discovered without reports of a break-in, say police.

Officers were called to investig-ate a burglary in Persia Street just after midnight this morning after neighbours reported hearing suspicious banging noises.

At the terraced property, officers found upstairs rooms, including the loft space, were filled with around 500 plants, which have an estimated street value of £200,000, along with lighting and heating equipment.

A 16-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of burglary at the scene has been released on bail.

Today a 32-year-old Vietnamese man was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis at the rented property.

Police said that neither neighbours or workmen working in close proximity to the house had any idea the large drugs factory, believed to have cultivated the potent ‘skunk’ cannabis strain, had been under their noses.

In the house electricity meters had been bypassed and a large air ducting extraction system had been installed to prevent the smell from alerting people nearby.

Sophisticated hydroponic equip-ment had also been installed to grow plants in water, without soil.

One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: “I am totally shocked as I have quite small children and I never noticed anything out of the ordinary at that house at all.

“I’m glad they have found it, though. It’s amazing what can go on behind closed doors”.

Another neighbour said: “There haven’t been any noticeable problems at all at that house.

“The first time I noticed anything unusual was hearing sounds like there was a break in and I called the police.

“I can’t believe what they have found.”

DS Paul Langley said: “All the rooms were filled with mature plants, and would be worth approximately £400 each.

“The house has not attracted any attention at all and no smell is noticeable from the outside.

"Workmen renovating the house next door have been in very close proximity to the house without noticing anything.

“Without the break-in we probably wouldn’t have found out anything about this sophisticated set up.”