Five flee to roof as police find 2,000 cannabis plants in Doncaster industrial unit

Police found 2,000 cannabis plants when they raided the unit in Sandall Stones Road, Kirk Sandall – and seized five men at the scene after they tried to evade capture by climbing onto the roof.

A spokesman for Doncaster East Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Officers politely knocked on the door, but for some reason the people inside were hesitant to open up.

"Our method of entry officer’s eyes lit up as he saw the opportunity to put his skills to the test and pulled out the reciprocating saw.

"After a few seconds the door was history and officers entered the unit, where they found approximately 2,000 cannabis plants.

"The electricity had been bypassed and was extremely dangerous.

"For some reason the five males inside decided they didn’t want to hang around for a chat and attempted to escape the building via the roof. Maybe they just like the feeling of being high!

“After a small amount of negotiation and a big help from the fire service, the males were brought back down to earth.

"All five were arrested on suspicion of production of cannabis and taken to custody with four charged and remanded to court awaiting trial.

"What’s that I hear you say - proper police work, arresting the suspects and actually getting them charged. No doubt some will say this is not a crime and cannabis should be legal.

"Please bear in mind this type of activity helps to fund all sorts of criminal activity across Doncaster.”

There have been numerous drug busts in Doncaster in recent months, with officers seizing cannabis plants from a number of different locations and making a number of arrests as South Yorkshire Police ramps up the campaign to crackdown on the city’s drug trade.

You can report drug dealing and drug factory set ups to police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency.

Alternatively, you can contact independent charity Crime Stoppers at their UK call centre on 0800 555 111 to report information in confidence.