POLICE smashed a drugs operation after swooping on three addresses and arresting six people.

Five men from Redditch have been arrested following a raid on the brick two-storey detached house in Welland, near Malvern on Friday.

A sixth man was arrested the following day in Upper Chase Road, Malvern as police swooped just as the cannabis grow was being dismantled and loaded into a van.

All six are on police bail pending further enquiries.

The factory was found in a house in Gloucester Road, Welland after West Mercia Police were alerted by a suspicious member of the public.

Officers seized eight plants and nearly 600 drying sprigs at Welland. Police also raided a third address in Golding Way, Ledbury the following day as part of a cross-border operation headed by Worcestershire police.

The raid led to a large number of plants being seized and "the destruction of equipment" by police, at what is being called a cannabis grow.

Police are also not ruling out further arrests.

Nine addresses were searched in Worcestershire, including the one in Gloucester Road, Welland, before the spotlight turned to Ledbury, and the South Worcestershire Proactive CID crossed the border into Herefordshire.

Police believe all three addresses are linked.

Detective inspector Stuart Murphy said the yield of the plants seized and the street value of the drugs involved has yet to be calculated but he said the good result showed the value of information supplied by the public. Forensic investigations into the drugs are ongoing.

The day after officers visited the Welland address they arrived at what police believe to be a linked operation in Upper Chase Road, Malvern. Again they were alerted by a member of the public who was concerned a burglary was in progress.

DI Murphy said: "In their panic with their friends getting arrested they tried to dismantle the operation. A vigilant member of the public thought a burglary was going on and saw stuff being loaded onto a van. It was the remnant of the cannabis grow.

"We encourage people to ring in. However insignificant they think it is we do take it seriously.

"If people are growing cannabis it is only a matter of time before we will be coming though their door."

He urged landlords to be vigilant and selective with regard to tenants when it came to renting out their property.

One woman from Welland, who declined to be named, said she did not notice anything suspicious.

She said: "Yes, it does surprise me. I'm glad there has been so many arrests. We're a very respectable, thriving village. This reassures me the police are doing their job."

A mum-of-three who did not want to be named said she saw a black van and a white van on the drive and had become suspicious something was going on at the house.

She said someone had been to drop a bill off at the house but when they came to the door no-one answered even though they could tell there was someone in.

She added: "The blinds were shut all the time and nobody saw anyone leaving. We suspected something."

She also said there were a lot of birds roosting on the roof which he said she believed was because of the heat coming off the cannabis grow.

She said she only noticed the smell of cannabis on the day of the arrests.

She said: "I'm pleased. The police have done well. This (drugs) is the last thing we want to see on our doorstep.

"They think in a place like this no-one will notice them but it's the worst place because here everybody knows everyone."

Another mum said: "It's not a surprise. Drugs are everywhere." But she said there was ' a mixed demographic' in the village and 'all types' in Welland.

Another mum said: "It did appear something suspicious was going on. A few of us in the village had discussed the fact that blinds were closed.

"There seemed to be some sort of change in what happened at the property. We didn't really see anybody.

"We didn't see anybody visiting. We are quite shocked. The house has been on the market a long time. I am really pleased the police have taken notice of the comments that have been made about suspicious activity."

Those with suspicion about drugs can alert West Mercia Police on 101.