South Yorkshire Police's war on cannabis farms sees £7m of plants destroyed since October in just one town

Officers in Rotherham say they are now “almost daily” carrying out raids on suspicious properties across the town to stamp out criminal factories.

The force claims since October 1, it has dismantled 61 cannabis crops, seized nearly 6,800 plants worth £7m in street value, arrested 25 people and jailed two people.

The uptick in raids came after residents in Ferham and Eastwood began experiencing an increased number of power cuts, which police deemed were in part the result of cannabis cultivations in the area.

Rotherham’s district commander, Chief Supt Steve Chapman said: “People involved in the production and supply of drugs have a detrimental impact on the local area. The power cuts were a real issue in the community; not only that, but the organised criminals behind most of these set-ups take advantage of society’s most vulnerable who are often coerced and forced in to harbouring drugs.

“Where drugs are, you are certain to find gang rivalry, violence and exploitation and we are going in hard in a bid to disrupt the supply chain.

"This is ultimately all about preventing future crimes on our streets and making Rotherham inhabitable for dealers and organised criminals.

“Gang crime and serious violence ruins too many lives and we are doing all we can to intervene early and target drugs as the root cause. My ask of the public is to support us in our efforts, report any concerns and help us to keep Rotherham a safe place to live.”