DRUGS with a street value of more than £1million were seized when police swooped on a cannabis farm in Bolton.

Today officers hailed the raid as a major victory in the war against the underground drugs trade on the town's streets.

And the hunt for the people behind the operation was underway.

The massive haul - one of the biggest ever found in Greater Manchester - was found in a sophisticated production set up inside a mill near Bolton town centre.

About 1,000 cannabis plants, in various stages of maturity, were laid out in the building in Derby Mill, Thomas Street, in the Deane/Daubhill area.

Police also discovered sophisticated electronic equipment and a complex water supply system specially designed to create the best conditions for cultivating the plants.

Officers with a search warrant raided the mill yesterday afternoon, as part of Operation Xmas, an on-going anti-crime initiative. The mill had been under surveillance for some time.

No one was inside the building when the warrant was executed, but detectives were today following up a number of lines of inquiry to catch the people responsible for running the drugs farm.

The building was sealed off and forensic experts were still gathering evidence at the scene today.

Ch Insp Charlie Bradshaw said: "This is a very significant find. It is a substantial amount of plants and certainly one of the biggest in the Greater Manchester area.

"Undoubtedly it will have an impact on the supply of cannabis in Bolton."

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