A HUGE haul of hundreds of cannabis plants has been revealed in office space near a North-East town centre after an electrical fire broke out.

Up to 1,000 plants were discovered and seized following the blaze in what is understood to be one of the biggest cannabis operations ever found in the area.

Charred remains of the suspected class B drugs farm, including three skips full of plant pots, ventilation pipes and soil, remain at the scene off Northgate, in Darlington.

Firefighters rushed to the floors above The Vape Shop, opposite the Northgate Bedding Centre, on Friday lunchtime after smoke was seen coming from the building.

The alarm was raised by shop owners Joe Quinn, 22, and his stepfather, Neville Jones, 59, who were last night still without electricity to their store following the fire.

The Northern Echo:

Firefighters at the scene. Picture: NEVILLE JONES

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Mr Jones said County Durham Fire and Rescue Service firefighters broke down a separate door next to The Vape Shop that provides access to floors above the business.

Once inside, an electrical junction box was found to be well alight in the hallway, with the fire spreading the stairs.

Mr Jones, who has only been running the business for three to four weeks, said: “Joe lifted the letterbox [next door] and said the electrics had gone up.

“Then smoke started coming into our shop and we called the fire brigade.”

He added: “The police said it was one of the biggest cannabis hauls they have seen.

“As far as we were concerned we did not know anyone was in there.

“We did hear a bit of noise upstairs now and again, but we thought it might be workmen. We never saw anyone come or go.”

The Northern Echo:

The aftermath of the blaze off Northgate. Picture: CHARLOTTE BOWE

Crews extinguished the fire and waited for an electrician to turn off the supply to ensure the building, which is also next door to the Born to Dance shop and dance studio, was safe.

It is understood power cables were wired into the mains running upstairs.

Mr Quinn, updated social media to confirm The Vape Shop was forced to close temporarily because of the blaze and that the business was not connected to the floors above.

He said: “The night it happened there was a police presence here on the front and the back because they left the property open.

“They came yesterday (Saturday, September 23) and there was a police presence here until about nine or ten o’clock last night until a company came and boarded the property up to make it secure.

“We still don’t have electricity and there are skips outside full of crap which will stay there until the skip company can take it away.”

Speaking on Monday, a Darlington Police spokeswoman said: "Scenes of Crime officers have since attended the property and investigations into the cannabis grow and possible abstraction of electricity are ongoing.”

She added: “[Northgate] was closed for around an hour while the fire brigade dealt with the fire. 

“There were no injuries and only light disturbances to the surrounding area caused by smoke.”