Huddersfield: Thousands of cannabis plants found in armed raid

West Yorkshire Police said the arrested men were held after a police operation involving armed officers and other teams on Nile Street in Huddersfield

Thousands of cannabis plants have been found and eight men arrested during an armed police raid in Huddersfield.

West Yorkshire Police said officers have been at a former commercial premises on Nile Street since 09:00 GMT, with the operation ongoing.

Nearby Kirklees College earlier said it was "placed in a lockdown" during the large-scale police search.

St Thomas' Road, near Nile Street, was closed off by officers to allow for investigations to continue.

West Yorkshire Police said a large number of officers, including armed police, attended due to the size of the premises.

An underwater search team was also sent to the scene due to the raid site's proximity to the River Colne, police said.

'Fast-moving situation'

The force said the eight arrested men were currently in police custody, with drugs equipment also found during the searches.

Det Ch Insp Ian Thornes, of Kirklees Police, said: "This has clearly been a very large scale operation in Huddersfield town centre and has resulted in the seizure of significant numbers of cannabis plants.

"Counting the number located will take some time, but it is believed that thousands are potentially in the facility."

A spokesperson for Kirklees College said: "We locked down as a precaution to safeguard our students and staff."

Responding to a question on social media, the college described it as a "fast-moving situation" earlier on Tuesday but confirmed the college was "now safe".

Det Ch Insp Thornes added: "I do appreciate the disruption our activity is causing in the area nearby and would ask residents and businesses to bear with us as we conduct our detailed and necessary investigation work."