MORE than £800,000 worth of cannabis has been seized by police from a property in Minehead.

Police discovered 806 plants in total being grown over three storeys at 43 Alcombe Road, Minehead, when they investigated on Wednesday, August 19.

Local police officers were alerted by the public to a strong smell of cannabis and visited the property at around 4.30pm.

As the officers approached the property they saw a man jump out of a first floor window at the rear of the house but he was quickly detained as he tried to make his escape.

Officers detained the man and having identified suspected cannabis in the property they conducted a search.

They found a significant amount of cannabis plants being grown, using hydroponic equipment, over three floors, some of which had been harvested and packed in preparation for sale.

A 35 year-old Vietnamese national was arrested on suspicion of production of cannabis and various immigration offences and is currently in custody at Bridgwater.

PC Charlie Fitzpatrick, from Minehead Police Station, said: “This has been a significant seizure for this area. We have seen cannabis factories such as this in other areas of the force.

"The people who set-up and run these properties often use illegal immigrants as 'gardeners' forcing them to live and work in awful conditions as modern slaves.

"We won’t tolerate either drug dealing, drug production or indeed any kind of modern slavery that sees vulnerable people exploited through fear of deportation.

“I would like to thank the members of the public who informed us of the suspected criminal activity. I hope this demonstrates once again, that we do listen and we will take action.”

The plants, 806 in total, are thought to have a value of between £1000 - £3000 each depending on their size and quality so it is estimated their yield would be worth more than £800,000 on the street.

They will be seized and cleared, along with the hydroponics equipment, by Operation Viscount, Avon and Somerset’s response to cannabis cultivation.

The investigators also discovered that the electricity meter had been bypassed, and Western Power were called to make the property safe.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said: "Illegal immigrants are often forced to work in awful conditions in cannabis factories."

Crime Scene Investigators continued to examine the property on Thursday, August 20.

The raid follows a report published last week that by a group of MPs and Lords which suggests that legal cannabis markets should be tested and drug use decriminalised as part of a radical new approach to drug policy.

Lady Meacher, co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform, says the group want ministers to try out a controlled system similar to parts of the United States where licensed premises sell labelled and tested cannabis.