POLICE have uncovered a cannabis farm described as “substantial and well organised” – the second to be discovered in the same street this year.

Officers attended a property in Greenbank Road, Darlington, on Saturday morning after a tip-off from a member of the public who had noticed suspicious activity at the site.

It is not yet known how many plants were in the house, but a police spokesman said every room in the terraced house was being used for growing the plants.

Crime scene investigators spent the weekend examining the property, dismantling the hydroponic growing equipment and removing the plants.

Officers said it was too early to say if the farm found at the weekend has any connection to two other operations that were discovered in July, including one in another property in Greenbank Road.

No one was at the property when officers arrived on Saturday and inquiries are continuing to determine who was behind the farm.

Detective Sergeant Paul Faulkner, who is leading the investigation, said the house contained a substantial amount of plants.

“This has been well-organised,”

he said. “It’s quite a substantial growth and is well set up.”

Det Sgt Faulkner praised the member of the public who provided the tip-off about the site and added: “The public are vital – they are our eyes and ears – and if they do have suspicions about people or activity they should come forward.

“They don’t have to provide their details and they can do it securely. It is something we encourage.”

Information from the public led to the discovery of the two large-scale cannabis farms that were shut down in Darlington, including one at another house in Greenbank Road that had more than 500 plants, potentially worth thousands of pounds on the street.

Another farm, in Lansdowne Street, was found a week later with 332 plants inside and a sophisticated setup of lights and waterpumps.

Earlier this month, a Vietnamese man, Thuan Bui, was jailed for eight months for his part in the production of drugs with a potential street value of £65,000.

Bui will be deported when his sentence is complete.