RESIDENTS of a Hendon road today reacted with mild amusement at the news that a home in their close-knit community had been used to grow thousands-of-pounds worth of drugs.

A five-bedroom, semi-detached house in Downage was raided last week by police, who discovered the largest ever haul of cannabis plants in the borough.

Eiran Rotenberg, 36, drove past the house shortly after it was raided by police.

"It was literally lit up like a football pitch at night," he said. "It was broad daylight but the glare coming out was blinding. You needed sunglasses.

"I assumed it was either a film set or a drug house. A policeman told me: 'your next door neighbour's been running a drug factory'.

"It was more amusing than anything else."

He said the direct neighbour had suspicions after the tenants moved into the house at 1am.

But he added: "From that point on there were no visitors, no comings and goings."

Another neighbour, Danielle Garbacz, 18, said: "I never saw anyone coming or going from the house. It was quite strange as I know all the other people living here.

"We're all friends around here, everyone knows each other."