Shock as flat flood leads to discovery of cannabis farm

A MAN whose home was flooded by a leak from the flat above him today spoke of his shock after discovering the upstairs property was being used as a cannabis farm.

• Ricky Venters in his sodden flat

Ricky Venters faced hundreds of gallons of water pouring into his ground-floor flat in Dalry after an apparent pipe burst in the property upstairs.

The 50-year-old called out the city's council environmental health team in a bid to gain entry to the upstairs flat and stem the flow of water. But when the suspicious council workers called in police, officers discovered a cannabis cultivation being grown in the three-bedroom property in Caledonian Road.

Shortly after the leak started, Mr Venters confronted the male tenant of the upstairs flat after he returned home. But the man refused to allow access to the flat and ran away.

Gangsters from China, Malaysia and Vietnam are said to be behind most cannabis farm operations, with Lothians police discovering around three new cultivations each week

Mr Venters said the leak erupted on Thursday: "I was in the kitchen and could see a bulge growing in the ceiling. Then the water started to pour through and I had to grab a bucket to collect it and put it down the sink.

"There must've been hundreds of gallons and it was clearly a burst pipe.

"My flat is with the Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, but I contacted the council to see if they could get hold of the private landlord from the flat above to turn off the water. Then the upstairs tenant came back home. I told him what was happening and asked to get access to his flat, but he kept saying he didn't speak English, then he ran away."

Mr Venters watched police head into the flat, where he could see a hydroponics and lighting system. He added: "The water was turned off and the police called for a forensic team. I heard them tell the environmental health that it was a cannabis farm.

"Now I think about it, the flat above was suspicious. The blinds were always drawn and I only saw the Asian tenant about twice in the last year."

The landlord of the property told the Evening News that a cannabis cultivation had been discovered in the flat, but he said he had no knowledge of it.

A police spokesman said: "As enquiries are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment at the moment."

A city council spokeswoman said the matter was being dealt with by police.