Police said there were hundreds of plants of the class-C drug, with plants growing in every room of the three-storey house in Steerforth Close, Buckland, Portsmouth.

It is believed the drugs had a street value of hundreds of thousands of pounds, although the police said that they could not confirm the value at this stage.

The drugs factory was raided about 1am yesterday after police received a call reporting suspicious activity in the area.

The rented home was being used to cultivate cannabis, but it is thought nobody was actually living there.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: 'I heard a lot of banging and looked outside to see the police kicking the door in of the house.

'Apparently there is nothing inside but drugs in every room and a mattress on the floor in one of them.'

The 61-year-old, who has lived on the street for 29 years, added: 'The house was rented out about 18 months ago and now and again someone would pull up in a car and go in for a bit and then come back out. Sometimes you would see people loading up a car with black bags.

'About nine months ago my son said to me "there is something going on in that house" and I said "what do you think it is?" and he said "drugs".

'I would sometimes see a couple come and go but there was no-one actually living there.'

Another neighbour said: 'I am shocked. We didn't know the people who moved in but I think it is disgusting.

Mel Turkington, a spokeswoman for Hampshire police, said: 'We were called after people were seen acting suspiciously.

'Upon entering the premises we discovered the whole house had been turned into a cannabis factory, with hundreds of plants.

'The property has been boarded up and the drugs removed.'