More than 250 cannabis plants were seized during a raid at the latest in a string of DIY drugs factories found in Sussex.

Crops of the plants were scattered throughout the two-storey house.

The haul was believed to be worth thousands of pounds.

Nobody was in the house when police forced their way into the address in The Gages, Hailsham.

Officers spent hours searching the property and gathering the plants and other evidence.

Detective Inspector Colin Dowle, leading the case, said: "This is significant in terms of taking cannabis off the streets.

"For us, it's about getting into the grass roots of drugs and crime and disrupting the cycle of offending."

High-tech hydroponics were being used to help grow the plants which thrive in tropical climates. The factory is the latest in a string of major DIY operations which police have described as "professional" operations in the manufacture and supply of cannabis.

Many of the makeshift factories have been set up in residential streets where the operations have often gone unnoticed by neighbours, apart from some who reported smelling a strong pungent smell in the streets.

There have been a number of similar discoveries during the past year in Bognor, Worthing, Littlehampton, Hove and St Leonards.

Police believe there could be scores more undiscovered factories in Sussex, which is fast becoming a hotbed of drugs production.

Officers are trying to crack down on the large-scale manufacturers before dealers swamp the streets with home-grown drugs.