POLICE discovered a cannabis farm inside a house, officers have revealed.

They dismantled the drugs operation inside a property on Leslie Road, Toll Bar on Friday last week.

Limited details have been released at this stage but officers in St Helens added that a focus on targeting drug crime also saw a warrant executed on Brookway Lane, Parr.

Police in St Helens published details of the operations on social media - and responded to criticism from some people who claimed cannabis production is not a serious crime.

A statement on the St Helens Police Facebook page read: “The local policing team get intelligence from the community which they act upon, a lot of this relates to cannabis.

“Whether you agree or not, cannabis is a Class B controlled drug.

“Until such a time as it is de-criminalised the police will continue to target cannabis farms and drugs as a whole.

“Many of you ask what the point is and state that it doesn't hurt anyone.

“Unfortunately this is both naive and wrong. The groups who run the farms use modern slavery as well as fear and intimidation to further their illegal business.

“The violent offences including firearms discharges which plague most cities are often as a result of these same gangs.”

Speaking during a crackdown on drug farms earlier this year, Merseyside Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said the force is uncovering and dismantling cannabis farms on a daily basis.

She said: "The production of this drug is just one element of the serious and organised crime that brings misery to the streets of Merseyside.

"Young people are manipulated and drawn into getting involved in criminal activity, while the quality of life of law-abiding residents is disturbed and their lives put in danger due to the hazardous nature of these farms.

"They are magnets for violence and are used to fund criminal gangs.

"I strongly support the Chief Constable in his commitment to identifying, targeting and disrupting those involved in such crime and ensuring Merseyside remains a hostile environment for anyone engaged in such activity.”