Police raided a suspected cannabis farm which had a Christmas tree up, and arrested two men.

Officers swooped on the semi-detached house in a quiet residential street in the south of Colchester at 9.45am on Monday, December 6, after neighbours reported suspicious activity at the house in the early hours of the morning, constant low-level noise and the smell of cannabis.

East Anglian Daily Times: Essex police found a Colchester house's three bedrooms and loft had been converted to house a ventilation system, heat lamps and other equipment used to grow cannabis.Essex police found a Colchester house's three bedrooms and loft had been converted to house a ventilation system, heat lamps and other equipment used to grow cannabis. (Image: ESSEX POLICE)

When police forced their way in, they found a "clean and tidy" ground floor with a Christmas tree up.

But upstairs they found the house's three bedrooms and loft had been converted to house a ventilation system, heat lamps and other equipment used to grow cannabis.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and were taken to be interviewed in Colchester.

A spokesman for Essex Police said on Tuesday that both men had been released under investigation.

Sergeant Lee Palmer, who led the operation and is part of Essex Police's North Disruptor Team which tackles organised crime, said: “We had information from the community in relation to a suspected cannabis grow at the address. [On Monday] morning we executed a warrant under Section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act because of the impact the activity was having on the local residents.

East Anglian Daily Times: Two men have been arrested on suspicion of drugs offences after Essex Police officers searched an address in ColchesterTwo men have been arrested on suspicion of drugs offences after Essex Police officers searched an address in Colchester (Image: ESSEX POLICE)

“Upon entering the premises, it was clean and tidy downstairs but upstairs there was significant evidence to suggest the cultivation of cannabis.

“There’s a fully established hydroponic setup – the watering mechanism to grow plants – an air filtration system to get rid of the heat and the smell, and lights set up that are used to the provide UV and the significant amount of heat that the plants need to grow.

“We’ve arrested two men on suspicion of the cultivation of cannabis. They’ve been taken to Colchester custody where they will be interviewed.”