DETECTIVES are appealing for the public’s help after the discovery of a drugs den in the north of Swindon.

Their investigation centres on a residential property in Haydon End, immediately behind the Orbital retail park.

Wiltshire Police were recently alerted to the possible presence of a cannabis factory in the area and further enquiries led them to a house in Mazurek Way.

A spokesman for the force said: “We investigated reports of a cannabis factory last Monday, October 17, and discovered the factory on this day.

“Officers from the drugs team and North Swindon Neighbourhood Policing Team have closed down a commercial cannabis factory in Haydon End.

“Approximately 1,600 plants were seized from a house in Mazurek Way, along with 60 stolen recycling bins which the class B drugs were being grown in.”

Despite the discovery of the factory in full flow, no suspects have yet been arrested.

Local officers used social media to reassure residents that they are taking the matter seriously, they added a further appeal for information from anyone who may have seen suspicious activity or who may be able to describe any people or cars seen around the house.

Photos released by the police show well developed plants packed tightly into rooms the size of the average living room or bedroom.

Some appear to have been planted in handled bags designed for the purpose whereas others were being grown in soil-filled black and orange recycling bins - some still bearing the house numbers from where they were stolen.

Extravagant hydroponic lighting had been attached to the ceilings of the house and a tangled web of wires and power sockets had been screwed into an internal door, presenting a clear fire risk to the house in question as well as neighbouring properties.

This is not the first time in recent months that police have discovered a cannabis factory in a residential area of Swindon.

In March, officers descended on the former Meerkat pub in Florence Street after concerned neighbours got in touch.

The found plants, lights and power connections responsible for a £50,000 drugs operation.

A 31-year-old man - suspected of being a low-level ‘gardener’ - was found on the property and jailed for 26 weeks after admitting his involvement.

Just a week after the discovery of the Meerkat factory, another cannabis growing enterprise was uncovered in a Royal Wootton Bassett farmhouse.

On that occasion, 200 plants were found and three people arrested for offences related to the production of cannabis.

While a monetary value has not been provided for the more recent Haydon End discovery, the presence of more than ten times as many plants as the £50,000 Meerkat site provides an indication as to its industrial scale.

Anyone with information is asked to call Wiltshire Police on 101 - quoting the crime reference number which is 93664.