POLICE have busted another cannabis factory in the heart of a Southampton community.

Officers have been searching the property in Sholing since last week after the alarm was raised.

They made the find at a house in Butts Road – uncovering dozens of potted plants in rooms inside the home.

It is understood the so-called “farm” was relatively sophisticated, with insulated pipes, sheeting and extensive electric cables inside numerous rooms.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the drugs bust and have since been bailed pending further inquiries until August.

They were a 37-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man, both from Southampton, who were quizzed amid allegations of being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs.

It is the latest in a long line of such discoveries in Southampton.

Last August police found a crop of 105 cannabis plants at a house in Woodside Road, Southampton, weighing 8.8kg and thought to be worth around £44,000.

In June 2013, 609 plants were found in Warren Avenue, Shirley Warren, along with 51kg of the drug, worth around £500,000.

The find came after a series of explosions at the building alerted neighbours and their producer, illegal immigrant That Hoang, was jailed for three years.

Meanwhile in July 2013 police found another factory inside the former Club Kiss in Woolston, a former sex club closed down by the council in December 2012.

Historically, Southampton was labelled the “cannabis capital of the south” as dozens of cannabis factories appeared across the city.

At the time police said the high number of properties available to rent in the city made it an easy target.

Health risks Southampton City Council public health boss Cllr Dave Shields said that addiction to all harmful substances was something that needed to be addressed.

He said: “Closing down these factories has to be done but if the demand is still there then they will spring up elsewhere.

“The biggest health risks in South-ampton are tobacco and alcohol and tackling addiction to these substa-nces, and behaviour like gambling, is something we need to look at.

“We need to look at the underlying causes and how to ensure people are aware of the risks and make sure that temptation to use these substances does not come across in the first place.”