A CANNABIS farm has been discovered inside a former funeral directors in Burnley.

Around 40 individual plants were found growing on both floors at the former J Kendall and Sons Funeral Directors, in Briercliffe Road.

The plants were discovered after neighbours could smell cannabis coming through the wall.

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Fire crews gained access to the building on Wednesday at around 10pm before police carried out a search.

No arrests have been made and the drugs have been removed.

It is believed the funeral directors closed around 18 months ago and has been empty since.

Florist shop Daisy Chain reported the smell of cannabis to police on February 11 and the report was passed to the neighbourhood police team to be investigated ahead of seaching the building.

Gareth Morris, manager of nearby shop Burnley Cycle Centre, said: “It’s not good that this has been going on so close to this business.

“This shop has been here 34 years.

“And I don’t think there has been a case like this so close to us before.

“It just to be quite a bad problem in this area of the town and it peaked around three or four years ago.

“I thought it had been getting better and you heard less and less about drugs raids along the street.

“This has come a bit out of the blue and it’s good that the drugs have now been confiscated.”

Steve Ellis, 60, a former postman who lives in the street, said: “I’ve been here 29 years.

“And I can’t remember a drugs raid so close to my home before.

“It’s concerning that it’s only a stone’s throw away from my front door."

Resident Douglas Rose, 67, said: “It’s a terrible thing to be happening so close to my home and it worries me.

“We have a problem around here with empty shops being derelict for a long time.

“And are potentially easy targets for people who want to grow drugs.”