Police have seized cannabis plants with a staggering street value of £250,000 from a house in Cliffs End, near Ramsgate.

Officers swooped on the property in Beech Grove on Wednesday, where more than 1,000 plants were being cultivated.

Neighbours claim the house has been rented since early 2007 and report seeing it being stripped out in recent weeks.

DS John Smith, who led the investigation, said: "Information from local people can help us to close these drugs factories down.

"Apart from the fact that cultivating cannabis is illegal, there is a genuine risk of fire posed by these operations.

"Often the electricity metres are bypassed in order to facilitate the large amount of electricity needed to run the equipment and in the past fires have broken out as a result of this."

Residents are asked to report any suspicions of illegal drugs activity to Kent Police on 01227 762055 or Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Possible signs of cannabis cultivation may include: windows that are permanently covered from the inside; daily or weekly visits to a property for short periods of time; the removal of large numbers of black bin bags; a pungent smell coming fromt he property; and a vent protruding from the roof tiles.