POLICE seized £3,000 worth of cannabis plants in Blackbird Leys — the largest haul of the drug from the estate since February.

Seven officers from the Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Team swooped on the terraced house in Sandy Lane at 8.15am.

Twenty plants, each between two feet and three feet tall, were discovered in the attic, hidden behind a wooden door.

It was the 56th in a series of drugs raids on the estate since February designed to stamp out drugs and dealers.

Sgt Rob Axe: “We opened a pine door and as we looked inside we could see there were 20 plants all individually irrigated with their own water, fertiliser, lighting, timers, chemicals and everything you need to produce your own cannabis.

“It’s a brilliant result. We’ve disrupted a good source of cannabis with a street value of about £3,000, it’s a lot of money, especially at Christmas.

“We’ve had more in class A but it’s the largest haul of cannabis on the Leys since we started all the raids in February."

All the plants and cultivation equipment were collected by a waste disposal firm and incinerated.

Sgt Axe had not noticed a rise in drug dealing in the run up to Christmas, but warned more raids would defintely take place in the New Year.

Local resident Jonathon Kelly, 32, of Sandy Lane, said: “I’m suprised, I’ve never seen people coming and going or anyone suspicious at all."

A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis and taken to St Aldate’s police station for questioning.