A CANNABIS farm sparked a fire at a house in Thornaby.

The fire started at the property in Victoria Road, Thornaby at about 10pm on Tuesday. 

Firefighers called to tackle the blaze discovered a small cannabis farm at the address, and reported it to Cleveland Police.

No one was injured and the fire did not cause damage to other properties.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “Officers would like to take this opportunity to warn owners of properties to be vigilant when renting to tenants that they do not know, especially if they are offering cash payments.

“Dangerous wiring which is used to bypass electricity meters proves to be a fire hazard at most cannabis farms which are discovered, which can puts lives at risk and cause damage to other properties.

“It’s only a matter of time before there is a serious incident due to the irresponsible actions of those setting up cannabis farms.”