Cannabis crime: My father’s Luton home was sub-let to criminals

The BBC contacted the businessman who rented the property, who says he had sublet it to a builder.

“He paid the rent on time and, I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t checking on the property. I’m not an estate agent.

“At the end of the day, these things happen and I’m a few thousand pounds out of pocket myself,” he says.

The BBC has chosen not to name him.

Responding to Hassan’s case, Bedfordshire Police told the BBC that while “no suspects had been identified”, they were “working with the family to establish new lines of inquiry”.

“We have a dedicated team to tackle this element of organised crime and recently secured our first conviction of an individual who illegally sublet a property for the cultivation of cannabis.”

Hassan’s neighbour, Abdul Shakoor, says the criminals kept a low profile, and nobody knew they were there.

“I was woken up by a loud noise when the police came and saw one of the suspects running away,” he says.

“There are so many of these farms; in two years I have seen three of them on this road. The police just come and take away the plants.”