Half a million pounds worth of cannabis has been seized in Oldham town centre along with two quails, which are now in the care of the RSPCA.

An industrial-scale cannabis farm was discovered by police on Rock Street this week.

On Wednesday, around 600 plants were found inside and officers say they believe it is worth an estimated street value of £500,000.

The Oldham Times: industrial-scale cannabis farm at an address on Rock Street in Oldham’s Town Centre

During the inspection, two quails were also found, seized by police and handed over to the RSPCA to be re-homed.

No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing at this stage.

The Oldham Times: Quail

Detective Inspector Nick Helme from the Oldham district Challenger team said: “This find was off the back of some intelligence we received from the public, we acted quickly and thankfully the team managed to get into the address and recovered a substantial amount of the Class B drug.

The Oldham Times: industrial-scale cannabis farm at an address on Rock Street in Oldham’s Town Centre

“Cannabis farms can be a substantial fire hazard with the amount of electricity that is being extracted to grow the plants.

“While we have nobody in custody for this crime, we are working hard to identify those responsible and once we manage to do that, they will be held accountable.”

Anyone with information to share can contact officers on 0161 856 8999 quoting log number 1149 of 06/09/2023, or call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The Oldham Times: industrial-scale cannabis farm at an address on Rock Street in Oldham’s Town Centre

Officers have shared advice on how to spot a property that may be being used to cultivate drugs. 

Some indicators may include, a powerful distinctive sweet, sickly aroma; frequent visitors throughout the day and night; blacked out windows; chinks of bright light throughout the night; birds gathering on the roof, particularly in cold weather; noise from fans; large amounts of rubbish including compost bags; electricity metre being tampered with.

A police spokesperson said: "Individually these activities may seem commonplace, however, together may indicate something more suspicious.

"Information from the public plays an incredibly important role in these warrants time and time again – please let us know if you have any concerns about drug activity in your local area.

"If a crime is in progress, always dial 999. Alternatively, you can report it online using the Live Chat button."