Police discovered a cannabis farm at a council flat in Chadwell Heath this morning.

The Post joined Whalebone Safer Neighbourhood Team as they carried out a search warrant on the property in Grantham Gardens at around 8am.

As there was no-one at the flat officers knocked down the door and found around 40 cannabis plants and hydroponic equipment in a room on the first floor.

A sample of the plants - which have street value of between £4,000 to £8,000 - will be taken for analysis and the rest removed and destroyed.

Leading the raid was Sgt Ian Lee. He said: “There were reports of cannabis smells at the block of flats, so using a helicopter, the air support unit carried out a thermal image search which showed up a lot of heat coming from this flat.

“We obtained a search warrant from the courts and the raid lead to the discovery of around 40 to 50 cannabis plants. The heat was caused by the equipment used to grow the plants.”

He said the flat would be searched for evidence which can be used to track down the suspects and help bring about a conviction.

Resident Bukola Olomola, 30, who lives in a neighbouring flat, said she was “shocked” to hear a farm had been growing so close to her home.

“I had no idea,” she told the Post. “I had smelled some cannabis before but thought it was just people smoking it. I rarely see anybody going in and out of the flat.”

It is not thought anyone was living at the council property.