Officers from the Spencer Safer Community Team discovered the factory at about 8am this morning at a home in Spencer Bridge Road.

The property was made safe before the plants were taken away and the scene examined by forensic officers.

A 42-year-old man was arrested and will be interviewed at Campbell Square Police station in due course.

Spencer Safer Community Team Sergeant Dan Finney said: "The community recently told us that one of the issues they wanted us to tackle was the supply of controlled drugs.

"So we made that one of our priorities and this successful operation shows that we are working hard to make the area safer for local residents.

"This is a great result for the safer community team and local residents."

Police officers, who made the find after acting on intelligence, are also encouraging the public to report anything suspicious to the Force.

Sergeant Finney said: "It is very important that the public provide us with information about any suspicious activity in their communities.

"For example, if they see someone moving lots of lights and pots into a house in their area they should get in touch with us. They can either call us directly or contact the anonymous Crimestoppers line."

Anyone with information should contact Northamptonshire Police on 08453 700700 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Some tell-tale signs of cannabis factories that residents should look out for are:

· The windows of the property are permanently covered from the inside
· Visits to the property occur at unusual times of the day or night
· People often do not live in the premises and only visit to maintain them
· There may be a vent protruding through the roof or a rear window
· There may be a pungent smell coming from the premises
· There may be noise coming from the equipment, such as cooling fans
· A large amount of pots and lights may be moved into the premises when the factory is set up
· In terraced houses, shared walls may appear wet to the touch
· Large amounts of soil and pots in back gardens