Cops' massive discovery after helicopter pilot spots something suspicious flying over Stockport

A large cannabis farm was uncovered in a former retail unit after a police helicopter spotted a suspicious 'heat source' while flying over Stockport.

Following the intelligence from the chopper on Friday morning (March 22), officers obtained a warrant and forced their way into a 'large, old retail premises' on Princes Street. at around 5am.

A cannabis farm with around 100 plants was discovered inside. A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the cultivation of cannabis. He was said to have been 'helping officers with their enquiries'.

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Sgt James Senior, from the Stockport Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "We will work with our community who gives us information and we will act on that information."

The sting came as officers flooded the streets of the town in the latest day of action as part of a crackdown on crime in the town centre.

A large number of both uniformed, mounted and plain-clothes officers were out and about as Operation Rimini, which was launched last summer to tackle shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and other forms of crime in and around the town centre and Edgeley.

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It has seen GMP put more 'boots on the ground' in a bid to catch and deter offenders. Officers have also used innovative tactics such as donning staff uniforms in shops experiencing high levels of shoplifting in order to catch people in the act. Although officers today stuck to 'traditional' tactics a 'prolific' shoplifter was also arrested.

The latest operation was timed to coincide with the opening of the town's new 135 million transport