A house in Street Lane had been converted into a warren of hothouse rooms growing hundreds of illegal drug plants.

* Click here for contact details of your local police team in Roundhay & Oakwood.

Local residents' suspicions were passed to the letting agent and resulted in the police swoop.

Outwardly the property appeared to be a well-maintained semi-detached house with garden, garage and tarmaced parking area.

But behind the drawn curtains and blacked-out windows, police found extensive alterations had been made to walls and electricity installed to run dozens of 600-watt bulbs to speed the plants' growth. The electricity meter had been illegally bypassed.

Five rooms had been fitted up for growing. Holes had been knocked through walls to allow access to a large ground-floor extension and to route 12in-diameter corrugated ventilation trunking to remove the fumes.

Besides the extension, downstairs reception rooms and bedrooms had been given over to the growing operation. Each room contained scores of cannabis plants.

Insp Andrew Briggs said the national issue of cannabis factories was clearly affecting Leeds. Information from residents had led to the discovery of factories including one in Carr Manor View, Moortown, on January 31.

Insp Briggs said: "These incidents appear to form part of a larger criminal network."

* Anyone with information should ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or the Roundhay Alwoodley Moortown Neighbourhood Police Team on 0113 2413270.