Fire in Northampton house alerts police to drug factory
A fire at a house in Northampton, caused by an electrical fault, alerted police to a cannabis factory.
Firefighters were called to Faramir Place, Overstone Lodge, on Tuesday.
They contacted police when they discovered four rooms on the upper floor of the property had been given over to the cultivation of cannabis.
"We believe the property had been rented to tenants who set up the plant. No-one was in the property at the time of the fire," a police spokesman said.
"The factory was powered by a considerable amount of electricity and it has been established that an electrical fault was the cause of the fire.
"An electrical fault in these circumstances can trigger a substantial fire and it is fortunate that the alarm was raised quickly.
"This was potentially a very dangerous incident."