TW0 men have been arrested after a vast cannabis factory was discovered on a Basildon industrial estate.

Officers from Basildon Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) and the Operational Support Group executed a warrant at a building in the east of the town following reports of suspicious activity.

After sawing through the shutters, they found 2,140 plants in a grow split over a dozen rooms and two floors. Experts have estimated the haul to have a potential street value of up to £3m.

Two men were discovered inside, one of whom attempted to hide in a ventilation hatch.

The warehouse was in a dangerous condition with an unstable mezzanine floor and masses of exposed electrical cabling hanging between rooms to power heaters and fans.

All of the plants seized will be destroyed.

Inside the unit

PC Louis Rose from Basildon NPT led the operation. He said: "This was a very significant grow and clearly the work of an organised criminal gang.

"The warehouse had been fully converted for the purpose of growing plants to produce cannabis on an industrial scale, and a number of precautions had been taken to cover up what was really going on inside.

"After receiving reports of unusual activity at the site, we expected to find a grow. However, to encounter one of this size is rare.

"The drugs produced here would have found their way onto the streets. Drug use and drug dealing are directly linked to violent crime, exploitation and anti-social behaviour. By cutting off the gang's supply line, we have severely damaged their operation."