TWO men have been arrested after cannabis with a street value calculated at more than £800,000 was discovered during a Gloucestershire police raid at a business park.

Following a call from the public reporting a strong smell of cannabis from an industrial unit in Meteor Business Park, Churchdown, near Cheltenham, police executed a warrant to search the premises on Monday, February 2 and discovered a large hydroponics cannabis production facility.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in water rather than soil.

A large number of plants were seized and two men aged 50 and 53 were subsequently arrested, one from a house in Brookfield Road, Churchdown and another in Thistledown Close, Cheltenham where another large quantity of cannabis plants was seized.

An extremely high street value has been placed on the seizure which police say would have given a very large potential yearly yield of over £800,000.

The men arrested have since been released on police bail pending further investigation.

PC Matt Rollason of Tewkesbury police said: "This was dynamic operation with an excellent result made possible with the support and assistance of the local community, which will always be an invaluable aspect of policing.

"We are grateful to the member of the public who contacted us to report their suspicions about this activity.

"We would urge anyone to come forward when they suspect possible criminality."

Call Gloucestershire police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org