A SUSPECTED cannabis grower leapt from the third storey of a mill in a failed bid to evade police.

The dramatic event unfolded as dozens of officers carried out a dawn raid on York Street Mill, off Rochdale Road, near Bury town centre on Tuesday.

They discovered a massive cannabis farm containing 2,500 plants with a street value of £500,000.

As trained officers searched the large building, a man who was inside jumped out of the window and suffered leg and back injuries as he fell on the ground.

The man, who is believed to be from Romania, was taken to Royal Oldham Hospital and was later arrested on suspicion of growing cannabis.

Two other Romanians and a Vietnamese man, were also arrested on suspicion of growing cannabis. They are aged 23, 27, 28 and 30.

The building, which borders Croft Street, is divided into multiple units and is occupied by a range of independent retailers selling bathrooms, furniture, carpets and other goods.

Some people had, in the past few months, noticed an odour coming from part of the building.

Police were notified and, under Greater Manchester Police’s Programme Challenger anti-drugs initiative, officers got a search warrant from court.

Det Supt Karan Lee, of Bury police, said: “Communities have told us they want drugs and drug-dealing tackled across the borough and I hope this continuous action highlights how seriously we take these crimes.

“This raid sends out a message to the organised crime groups in Bury that we will never give up on our fight against them.

“Drugs cause widespread destruction to users and have a wider impact on the community.

“We want to send the message to organised crime groups in Bury that the community doesn’t want them here, and we will continue to uncover and destroy this activity at every opportunity.”

One trader, who asked not to be named, said: “The police went into the building before any of the traders were in.

“There were lots of police cars there throughout Tuesday.”

He added: “I cannot believe someone has jumped that far down. It’s such a big drop. There is no way you can fall that far without getting hurt.”