Two men from Walton-on-Thames involved in running a cannabis factory in Shepperton, where plants worth up to £700,000 were discovered by police, have been jailed.

Daniel Sullivan, 30, from Collingwood Place, Walton-on-Thames and James Scantlebury-Grant, 28, from The Heart, Walton-on-Thames both pleaded guilty to a charge of production of cannabis.

A third man, Jamie Lee, 37, from Waverley Road, Weybridge, has pleaded guilty to the same offence and will be sentenced at a later date.

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The factory (pictured above) at an industrial unit in Govett Avenue was discovered by officers on a routine patrol on May 10, after they smelt a strong smell of cannabis.

As they were securing the premises, where around 5,000 plants were found, the three men walked out of the front door and were arrested.

When officers searched the 10,000 sq ft building they discovered that 13 growing rooms containing hydroponic lights with notices on each of the rooms detailing the different strains of cannabis being grown. They also gave detailed information about when they had been planted and when they were due for harvest as well as how to maintain them.

The electricity supply had been tampered with so that the meter was bypassed and it emerged that the unit had been rented out under a fraudulent identity under the guise that it was being used for building film sets.

Detective Constable Stephanie Best from Staines CID said: "This factory was clearly a sophisticated operation which was designed to produce cannabis on an industrial scale.

"Cannabis cultivation on this level results in huge profits for organised criminal groups. The discovery of this operation has not only disrupted this group's activities but also prevented a huge quantity of drugs from reaching our communities.

"Thanks to the quick-thinking of the officers who came across this factory, these men were caught red-handed at the scene.

"I hope the sentences serve as a warning to others that we will pursue anyone involved in the production of drugs in Surrey and bring them to justice.”

Sullivan was jailed for 16 months at a hearing at Guildford Crown Court last week. Scantlebury-Grant was sentenced to a year when he appeared at the same court on Friday, August 9.