HUNDREDS of cannabis plants worth £130,000 have been found after police swooped on a flat in Port Glasgow.

Officers pounced on a property in the town's Highholm Street following a tip-off and made a major recovery.

They have described the set-up they found as bearing all the hallmarks of a sophisticated operation.

Specialist officers from the Violence Reduction Unit carried out the intelligence-led raid after obtaining warrants to search the property on Tuesday afternoon.

Just under 300 cannabis plants were found growing inside the four bedroom top floor flat.

Sergeant Allan O'Hare, who led the operation, said: "Acting on the concerns of the community my team led the operation to execute a sheriff drug search warrant at the property.

"This was an excellent high value recovery of cannabis and the discovery of what was a very sophisticated set-up to produce it."

This is the second major cannabis cultivation to be smashed in the town in a matter of weeks, after plants with a street value of £1m were found in a disused factory in the Devol industrial estate.

Sgt O'Hare has praised members of the public for playing their part and fired a warning shot to drug dealers operating in the community.

He told the Telegraph: "Cannabis farms are a real threat to people's safety, especially in a block of flats, due to the large volume of electricity and lighting involved.

"This leads to increased risk of fire.

"Drugs are a real concern, but with local people's continued support and co-operation we can all make a difference and reduce the threat of such criminality.

"Those who think they can get away with peddling drugs without facing the consequences are wrong.

"We are and will continue to target anyone involved in drugs and the criminality around such products.

"We would encourage the public to continue to tell us who is supplying drugs in their community."