South Yorkshire Police said officers entered a commercial premises in Thorne on 22 November where they found 235 cannabis plants and a drying room containing about £20,000 worth of the drug.
One man seen escaping through the roof was arrested and charged with production of a controlled Class B drug after police cut through two metal roller shutters using a chainsaw.
Doncaster East Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector Alison Carr said the operation was linked to organised crime groups “who have absolutely no place in our society”.
She said: “They are responsible for spreading fear, violence and terror in our communities, and by disrupting their supply of drugs, which funds further criminal activities, we can limit their influence and dismantle their operations.
“These cannabis cultivations are also linked to modern slavery, as they are known to exploit vulnerable people who are forced to commit to looking after these grows.
“That is another reason why we need people to keep reporting any suspicions they have around cannabis grows to police so we can act and deliver justice.”
The premises was divided into eight growing rooms spread across two floors, with living quarters including a single bed, toiletries, a stove and a well-stocked fridge.
That is because the Thorne and Moorends Community Hub and Food Bank has just bought a new van with a donation of nearly £3,000.
The charity was given a local community grant of £2934 from the Co-op, through the local Coop garage at Thorne, the carrier bag levy from Co-op members and Thorne Coop Funeral care.
Glenys Hennessey from the charity said: “We had an old small van to transport food from our unit to the Rugby Club. It had served us well but was in need of a large amount of work which was going to be costly. This Co-op grant was a life saver for us and our community.
Glenys said: “We have be supported immensely by Sainsbury’s in partnership with FoodAware Mexborough food bank, Greggs, Thorne Poultry, The real Yorkshire pudding company and Bradbury butchers of Thorne. All the local churches support those in food poverty by donating food. We have regular supporters who donate cash and by bank transfer to help us with our rent and to buy food to replenish our stocks of food.
Donations to Doncaster Foodbank can be dropped off at Tesco Extra at Woodfield Plantation, Woodfield Way, Balby, where there is a permanent collection point at the front of store. Donated food can be delivered to Christ Church any Tuesday or Thursday between 9am and midday. Mexborough has collection points at Mexborough Library and the Children’s Hub.
The Thorne and Moorends Community Hub and Food Bank is open on Wednesday morning 9am to 12pm at Thorne Rugby Club.
Food items which are most urgently needed include tinned fruit, long life fruit juice, tinned rice pudding, tinned meat, pasta sauce and rice. Doncaster Foodbank also takes toiletries, cleaning and sanitary products.
“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people who have donated to us and can’t thank them enough. People in our community are struggling to feed themselves and their families, even those working are feeling the strain through Universal Credit and the austerity measures and cuts. Our volunteers have been working all year to be ready for more families needing our help. The generous donations will allow us to be ready for what ever 2018 brings and beyond.
We launched the Free Press Doncaster Foodbank campaign to call on residents and businesses to help the borough’s foodbanks by making donations of food, or to offer premises as collection points.
The campaign was launched after concerns from foodbank chiefs and Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough, which issues food bank vouchers, over a major surge in demand while the new Universal Credit benefit is being rolled out across Doncaster.
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