IT IS a preserve of the well-heeled and considered one of Britain's most exclusive addresses.

But police yesterday revealed that behind the elegant Georgian facade of The Circus in Bath lay a cannabis factory.

Officers found marijuana, growing equipment, lights and compost hidden behind a wardrobe in a basement apartment in the famous address which is near another Bath landmark, the Royal Crescent.

They carried out a Misuse of Drugs warrant on Christmas Eve and a 68-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of cannabis possession and cultivation. She has been bailed.

The Circus, a sweeping vista of three curved terraces, was designed by the architect John Wood the elder, who started to build it in 1754. It was completed by his son, John Wood the younger, in 1768.

The 18th century artist Thomas Gainsborough lived at No 17, and Hollywood star Nicholas Cage is another former resident of one of the Grade 1 listed townhouses which curve around a central circular space. The name comes from the Latin 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle.

A resident who wished to remain anonymous said: 'I saw the police cars pull up at about 9.30 in the morning. It was quite a shock. You don't really see it happen around here - we're lucky enough to live in a nice area.' PC Adrian Secker, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: 'We are determined, whatever the time of year, to take action on drugs.'

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