Sutton police have shut down a drugs factory operating from a house filled with cannabis plants.

Officers from Wallington South Safer Neighbourhoods Team led by Sergeant Peter Le Shirley seized about 500 cannabis plants after executing a search warrant at an address in Onslow Gardens, last Thursday.

One man tried to make an escape by jumping out of a side window only to run into a waiting Dog Unit.

Two men in the property at the time, were arrested for cultivation of a controlled drug.

In response to concerns raised by residents, eight officers forced entry through the front door just after 9am.

They discovered five rooms packed with cannabis plants at various stages of growth.

Police remained at the semi-detached, rented property for several hours removing cannabis plants, bags full of harvested plants and other materials used in their cultivation.

Insp Colin Baker, of Sutton police station, said: “Drug related crime will not be tolerated in our communities and we urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activities to the police. If you report your suspicions we will respond quickly.”

Police are now asking residents to report comings and goings of neighbours at odd times of the day and night, curtains closed permanently to hide the blazing lights required to grow the plants and sweet smells coming from the property.

A significant number of cannabis factories are found in rented accommodation and police urge landlords to make regular checks on their lettings.

If you are suspicious that a property could be a cannabis factory, call Sutton police station on 0300 123 1212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

About 10 cannabis factories have been uncovered this year by Sutton Police officers.

Vietnamese nationals Hai Van Pham, 26, and a 16-year-old boy - both of no fixed address - appeared at Sutton Magistrates' Court on Saturday where they were charged with production of cannabis and abstracting electricity.