A huge cannabis factory which police say could be smelt from the street outside has been discovered in Holloway.

Safer neighbourhood officers from Highbury West uncovered �5,000 worth of plants at a house in Benwell Road.

A man and woman, aged 27 and 48 respectively, were arrested for cannabis cultivation in relation to the incident and bailed to return at a later date.

Police discovered 88 cannabis plants hanging on wires drying out along with 40 pots and five plants growing in containers. They also found cultivation equipment throughout the three-storey property.

Sergeant Rob O’Connor, from the team which carried out the raid, said: “We acted quickly after receiving information about drugs activity at the address. The stench of the plants was so overwhelming that it could be smelt from the street below. Drug dealing is one of our ward priorities and we are very pleased that these drugs, which were bound for sale on the streets of Islington and beyond, have now been seized. We encourage anyone with information on illegal drug cultivation to contact us in confidence.”