MORE than £1 million of cannabis has been recovered from a building in Dovercourt.

Concerns had been raised by the community after residents reported smelling what they believed to be cannabis around High Street as well as an increase in antisocial behaviour.

Town centre team officers PC Steph Tiscott and PC Neil Gibson spoke to residents about the issue while on patrol on June 26.

The officers were given access to a shop roof, where they were able to see into a nearby building.

The building, which was thought to be unoccupied, contained what looked to be a number of cannabis plants.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Drugs - the cannabis plants in Dovercourt 

Two people inside the property attempted to run away as the two officers waited for back-up but were quickly caught and arrested.

The building was searched and cannabis plants with an estimated value of £1.3 million was found.

Taulent Blloku, 26 of Berkeley Avenue, Greenford and Florenc Prrenjasi, 18, Woodbine Terrace, Durham, were charged with producing a controlled drug of Class B.

They last appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, July 27 and the case is listed for mention on September 7.

Harwich Town Centre Team Sergeant Aaron Heard said: "PC Triscott and PC Gibson are a fantastic team who have gone above and beyond to help those who live and work in Harwich and Dovercourt.

"They've spent time building really good relationships with the local community, whether that's listening to their concerns and taking action to solve any community issues, or helping vulnerable people get the support they need from the right places.

"Because of these good relationships, we were able to take a significant amount of illegal drugs off our streets and ensure those causing problems for our community are held accountable for their actions."