Darlington office block used as cannabis farm

Bodycam footage revealed the drugs inside the Darlington office block

A cannabis farm with more than 2,000 plants has been discovered in a disused office block.

Durham Police raided the three-storey building in Darlington's Haughton Road on Wednesday.

They found cannabis plants, worth an estimated £1.7m, being grown across the building's 14 rooms.

Two men, 32 and 34, have been charged with cultivation of cannabis and remanded in custody.

The haul was uncovered after officers received intelligence that illegal activity was taking place.

When officers arrived, they found electricity was also being illegally taken from a local substation to power cultivation and growing equipment.

The building has been made safe and the cannabis plants have been destroyed, Durham Police said.

Insp Dean Haythornwaite, from the force's neighbourhood police team, said nearby homes and residents had been put in "serious danger".

"This is not simply 'just a bit of cannabis'," he said.

"They are also directly linked to the exploitation of vulnerable people and are major fire hazards too, putting neighbouring properties and those who live in them in serious danger.

"We will always act on intelligence to remove drugs off our streets and make our communities safer - as this case has shown."

The men are due to appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court.