Walker stumbles on 750 cannabis plants in Rainworth woods

Police were called to a wooded area near Rufford Colliery Lane shortly after 8pm on Monday evening (September 14) after the plants were found by a walker.

Further investigation revealed two large open air growing areas containing around 750 individual plants housed in dozens of large pots.

The plants have now been removed from the site by Nottinghamshire Police’s Drug Recovery Team and investigations are ongoing to find the people responsible.

Sergeant Mark Talbot, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “There are many things that you may expect to find during a walk in the woods – but a large cannabis grow isn’t one of them.

“Clearly most cannabis grows are inside – hidden from view on loft spaces, basements and industrial buildings. In this case the people responsible sought to hide what they were doing in dense woodland.

“This will undoubtedly be a surprise to a many people but there are some varieties of cannabis that will grow outdoors in the UK.”

Cannabis is a Class B drug, the supply of which is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.Supply of cannabis is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.

Often cannabis production and drug crime can lead to more serious violence as dealers use force to try to keep their illicit business going, sometimes with vulnerable people forced into modern slavery in cultivating the drugs.

Anyone who has any information about this incident is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident 869 of September 14.

Anyone who has suspicions about the cultivation of cannabis anywhere else can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

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