A growing number of empty high street stores are being converted into illegal cannabis farms, police chiefs have warned.

Empty shop units in town and city centres are seen as ideal places to grow drugs by criminal gangs.

Chief Constable Richard Lewis, the National Police Chiefs' Council's national lead on drugs, said: "Commercial properties are attractive to organised crime groups for a whole host of reasons.

"Large-scale shops have closed down and therefore the footprint to produce cannabis on a larger scale becomes available."

Only last year police raided the former Poundland store in The Shambles, Worcester and discovered 500 cannabis plants being grown.

Following the raid in June 2023, two men, 24-year-old Denis Voka and 41-year-old Gjediku Kadri, were arrested for the production of a class B drug, cannabis.

Both were given 33-month prison sentences for their involvement.

Chief inspector Paul Harvey,  who leads the safer neighbourhood teams in south Worcestershire, said: "The production and sale of drugs is something we take incredibly seriously, and we're constantly working to prevent and disrupt it.

"We regularly execute warrants at locations where we have intelligence that drug-related activity is taking place.

"We don't underestimate the negative impact drugs can have on our local communities and it can lead to other criminality, including the exploitation of vulnerable people.

In June this year West Mercia Police raided 4 High Street in Droitwich after members of the community raised concerns to officers of suspicious activity in the former sweet shop.

Officers found 600 cannabis plants, valued at £491,000, being grown in the building, leading to the arrests of a 20-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman.

The strong smell of cannabis was what first alerted workers and shoppers to suspicious activity occurring in the former Worcester Poundland and Droitwich sweet shop.

Other signs of potential illegal activity include taped-up or opaque windows and bright lights shining from the building through the night.

Mr Harvey added: "The local community can help us by reporting any signs of drug use, production, criminal activity or any suspicious activity around vacant buildings.

"The easiest way to do this is on our website or by contacting officers in your local safer neighbourhood team.

"Any bit of information, no matter how small it may seem, could make a big difference."