Police get a surprise arresting two on suspicion of burglary - 11 rooms stuffed with £170,000 worth of cannabis plants

Police spent 18 hours at a house in Wisbech on Sunday after a chance discovery of 355 cannabis plants growing across 11 rooms.

An emergency call was made to the house in Churchill Road in the early hours to reports of a suspected burglary in progress.

But it was when they arrived that police were forced to call for specialist back-up after inadvertently stumbling into a ‘treasure trove’ of illegal drugs.

“We found a substantial cannabis factory with 355 plants growing across 11 rooms within the house,” said a police spokesperson.

“The plants have a potential yield value of up to £170,000.”

A team of officers spent the day at the house collating evidence – and bagging up the plants.

And passing motorists were forced to slow down as police closed off one lane of the road to conduct their search in safety.

The spokesperson said their officers were called at about 1.40am with “reports of a suspected burglary” at the house.

Two men, 20-year-old Luigi Di Caprio of Little Close in Eye, and 21-year-old James Law of no fixed address, were arrested nearby on suspicion of burglary.

They have both been charged with burglary in connection with Churchill Road and remanded to appear at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court today (Monday)

Di Caprio has also been charged with burglary and theft of jewellery, tools, clothing, and an Xbox in connection with an incident in Kings Delph, Whittlesey, earlier this year.

Law has also been charged with two burglaries in Clipston Walk and Flore Close, both in Peterborough last month, as well as theft of a Mercedes, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

As for the drugs the police spokesperson said: “An investigation into the production of cannabis is ongoing”