What we know so far as police raid suspected cannabis factory in Sirdar Road, Portswood

Officers swooped on Sirdar Road, Portswood, at lunchtime yesterday and began searching a semi-detached property on the southern side of the street.

Police said they were investigating reports of "suspicious activity" at the address, adding that a number of cannabis plants had been found.

Police in Sirdar Road

It comes after four men were jailed following the discovery of a cannabis factory worth £3.6m at an industrial unit at Pitt Road, Southampton, earlier this year.

Agron Elezaj, 27, of Jack Clow Road, London, Amarildo Sulaj, 23, of Stanhope Road, Doncaster, and Rexhino Koci, 26, and Damiano Saraci, 30, both of no fixed address, were sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday.

A reported in the Daily Echo police used an angle grinder to force their way through a large metal shutter on January 11.

Some of the officers involved in the Sirdar Road operation stood guard outside the property while others made house-to-house enquiries.

Neighbours were asked if they saw or heard anything at the address before police arrived and began a room-by-room search of the building.

A police van pulled up outside the property and three other police cars could be seen elsewhere in the street.

Kathy Emmott, who lives near the house, said: "I'm not here all the time but it's quite a while - several months - since I saw anyone coming and going."

Another Sirdar Road resident, Malcolm Hughes, 85, added: "I saw a police car outside, plus one down the street and police going into one of the houses.

"About two weeks ago I noticed a couple of blokes in a white van. They were there overnight and gone the next morning."

Police at Sirdar Road, Southamton, following the discovery of a suspected cannabis factory.

A police spokesman said: "Officers are in attendance at an address in Sirdar Road after receiving a report of suspicious activity.

"A number of cannabis plants have been located at the address. Enquiries are in the early stages, and officers remain at the scene."

Police have carried out several operations in Southampton under the banner of Operation Fortress, which aims to cut drug-related crime.

Speaking after one of the raids a police spokesman said: "The campaign looks to reduce the harm caused by drugs by specifically targeting those who bring misery to the city."

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