Cannabis found growing in bedrooms in Fengate
A couple have been evicted from their Peterborough home after a cannabis factory was discovered in two rooms.
A couple have been evicted from their Peterborough home after a cannabis factory was discovered in two rooms.
Peter Betts (69) and his wife, Marlene Betts (59), were evicted from their home in Fengate, because, say the housing association, they knew the Class B drug was being grown in the home.
Two bedrooms in the house were being used for the cannabis factory, with high powered lamps and other equipment used to grow drugs worth several thousand pounds.
The eviction was imposed by Cross Keys Homes, despite the drug being grown by the couple's daughter, who was not a resident in the home.
The couple denied knowledge of the factory but police evidence, including the smell from the property and the heat upstairs, was used to demonstrate that it was extremely unlikely the couple did not know what was happening.
Cross Keys Homes' anti-social behaviour manager Gemma Wood, said: "Not only did Mr and Mrs Betts allow their home to be used for an illegal and immoral purpose, the use of such high voltage lamps in residential premises is an extreme fire risk and puts the lives of others at risk and all for their own personal gain.
"Thanks must go to the police for their swift action in contacting us to enable us to gather evidence and deal with this immediately, and also for their attendance at court.
"We will continue to work with the police and given the seriousness of these sorts of cases, anyone who chooses to abuse the privilege of being offered one of our homes by using it as a cannabis factory can expect us to seek possession back."
A spokeswoman for Cross Keys Homes added: "Mr and Mrs Betts showed no remorse at what was a serious breach of their tenancy agreement. They were evicted from their home last week."
A 20-year-old woman was charged with producing a controlled drug. She was sentenced on February 28 to a 12 month community order with 80 hours' unpaid work.
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk 28/03/2014
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