More than 700 cannabis plants with a street value of nearly a quarter of a million pounds have been seized by police after raids in Keighley.

The cannabis haul, made during two separate police swoops on consecutive days, was the largest in the area for several years.

Many of the plants were fully grown and experts believe they would have had a street value of £241,000.

The first raid was at a house in Percy Street, where Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) officers discovered 263 plants.

They arrested two men in connection with the incident, who have been bailed pending further inquiries.

The following day, police attended a commercial property in Halifax Road. NPT officers had originally gone to investigate a burglar alarm at another building, but made inquiries at a nearby address after concerns were raised by residents.

Inside, they found and seized 442 plants from a cannabis factory within the unit. A man from Keighley was arrested in connection with the seizure and released on bail pending further inquiries.

Sergeant Craig Marshall, of the Keighley NPT, said: “These are very significant finds for our area, and I want to thank residents who have come forward and voiced suspicions.

“We will always act on information from the public and, through residents’ help, we continue to make progress at taking illegal substances off our streets.”

  • Read the full story in Thursday's T&A