Appeal for information after cannabis farm discovered in fire damaged Macclesfield warehouse

Detectives investigating a fire at an industrial warehouse in Macclesfield have discovered that the building was being used to house a professional cannabis farm.

Shortly before 4am on Tuesday 17 August emergency services were called to reports of a fire at an industrial building on Calamine Street.

Police and fire attended the scene and on arrival they found a large fire in a former kitchen warehouse.

An investigation by firefighters has concluded that the fire was caused by an electrical fault involving the equipment being used as part of a cannabis farm.

Enquiries in relation to who was responsible for the farm remain ongoing and officers are continuing to appeal for information which may aid their investigation.

Detective Sergeant Robert McCubbin, of Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, said: “This investigation is in its early stages and we are committed to doing all we can to establish who was running this factory.

“Due to the structural stability of the site we have been unable to access some parts of the building and we expect that officers will remain in attendance at the scene for several days.

“The warehouse itself is located at the junction of Calamine Street and Windmill Street and as part of our enquiries we are keen to hear from anyone in the area who believes they may have witnessed anything suspicious in recent weeks and months.

“The same goes for anyone with any CCTV or dashcam footage which may aid our investigation.”

Anyone with any information in relation to the incident is asked to call Cheshire Police on 101, quoting IML 1063059 or give the details via https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report.

Alternatively, information can be reported anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111