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Police renew appeal over £215k drugs tunnel find

A cannabis plant in a pot on the floor. A hole in a brick wall can be seen behind it. More cannabis plants can be seen on the other side of the wall.Image source, Northumbria Police
Image caption,

The police said the damaged walls could have affected the structural integrity of the building

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Police have renewed an appeal to find those responsible for a £215,000 cannabis farm found hidden beneath a trapdoor.

Northumbria Police discovered the secret grow at a property in Highcliffe Gardens in Gateshead on 27 June.

The trapdoor led to a series of tunnels and rooms containing about 200 cannabis plants and equipment, the force said.

Insp Craig Brown said the suspects had bypassed the building's electrics creating a fire hazard, and damaged walls making the structure unsafe.

He said: "As well as funding more serious and organised crime, the illicit and unregulated production of cannabis in confined spaces, such as this one, presents a worrying safety risk to both the people involved and the community."

A force spokesman said no arrests had yet been made but an investigation was under way.

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