Former half a million pound cannabis farm up for rent on AirBnB as a holiday home

The holiday let was raided in February and officers discovered a cannabis farm

In February, Cleveland Police unearthed a cannabis farm – estimated to be worth half a million pounds – at a property on The Green, in Seaton Carew.

Officers found 478 cannabis plants in the house and a 22-year-old was arrested and charged in connection with the raid.

Now, the house has been converted into a holiday home and contractor let with nine bedrooms, a games room and a TV room with cinema style seats.

The soil and rubbish left inside the house following police raid

But pictures show the aftermath of the cannabis farm ahead of a £70,000 refurbishment.

Property developer Duncan Belton owns the house and the next door Norton Hotel, said the property had been let out to various tenants, over the past five years.

He said: "The man who runs the Norton Hotel for me had rented out the property and I didn’t really know anything about it.

"I get a call to say they’ve had a bit of a problem – that they had a cannabis farm next door and it had been raided by police.

The rubbish and lights left at the house following police raid

“It was a mess but it meant that I had to do something with the property.”

Duncan, runs his business called Nest Egg Homes which has a portfolio of around 150 homes.

He added: "Then lockdown hit but I’ve been able to have work done – it took him the first week to clear out all the soil, rubbish and lights.

"We’ve just built it up from there. It’s got a new kitchen and new bathrooms, a games room and a cinema room. It cost around £70,000 to do up.

The house has been fitted out with a new kitchen

"I couldn’t bring myself to go over and look at it after the cannabis farm was found.

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“It needed modernising anyway and this has meant it definitely had to be done.”

The property, which has stunning sea views of the Seaton Carew coast, is now available to book on AirBnB, either as a holiday home or for contractors to stay in while working in the area.

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