Three men have been arrested after about 450 cannabis plants were discovered in St Albans, in an operation police are calling a "huge blow to those involved in the supply of drugs". 

Police were called to Lawrance Road on the New Green Estate at about 11am on Monday and arrested three Vietnamese men for the cultivation of cannabis.

Le-Ben Vung, 42, Nhat-Tien Lam, 19, and Hung Vu,24, all of no fixed address, appeared at Hatfield Remand Court on Tuesday and have been remanded in custody until they appear at St Albans Crown Court on August 12.

The plants were discovered at various stages of maturity in the house and have now been seized.

PC Mike Holihead from the Operation Scorpion Team said: "Cannabis has a strong smell. If you suspect a neighbour may be involved in drugs, please call us. We are always gathering intelligence on cannabis cultivation.

"Whilst this is not a major issue in St Albans we are determined to disrupt this type of crime by continuing to target those involved in the supply of drugs and related crimes across the county.

"This operation has dealt a huge blow to those involved in the supply of drugs and we’ve managed to seize a large amount of cannabis that would have been sold locally."

Anyone who suspects cannabis is being grown in their neighbourhood should contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or call the police non-emergency number 101.