POLICE have uncovered a suspected cannabis farm in a former bookmakers in the centre of Barnoldswick.

Officers from the Pendle Neighbourhood policing team and the Pendle Task Force discovered a 'large amount of illegal drugs' on Friday after forcing entry into the former William Hill bookmakers in Newtown.

A spokesperson for Colne and West Craven Police said officers had acted as a direct result of information being provided by members of the public in Barnoldswick.

The spokesperson said: "We acted upon this information swiftly and have taken a large amount of illegal drugs out of this building and away from the streets.

"Not only does this kind of crime affect businesses and people in the area, this illegal activity has a huge knock-on effect causing other issues in the area such as anti-social behaviour."

The spokesperson added: "People can be assured that should they wish to provide any information to police regarding any sort of illegal activity in the area, this will be treated with confidentiality and we will endeavour to act upon this as quickly as we can."

Anyone with any information they would like to pass on anonymously to police can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/