A former London police station has been turned into a cannabis factory just five months after being sold.
The Metropolitan Police were called to one of their former bases on the Isle of Dogs on Sunday over concerns it was being used to grow drugs.
The station, on Manchester Road in the borough of Tower Hamlets, was sold to a private company in February this year.
When officers arrived on Sunday, they found a “large” cannabis factory and set up a crime scene at the site.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Conservative councilor Peter Golds said: “Two years ago we found a cannabis factory in a school in the borough and now this.
“We have said for years that there are problems with anti-social behavior in Tower Hamlets, but we have continued to see police stations closed.
“We only have one proper station left at Bethnal Green.”
In documents from London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office, the case to close and sell the Isle of Dogs police station said it had no “public access function”.
Some 16 similar stations were slated to close and be scrapped to raise money for the force in 2021-2022.
A Met spokesman said: “On Sunday 24 July officers from Central East BCU were alerted to a possible cannabis factory at the former Isle of Dogs Police Station on Manchester Road, E14.
“Upon arrival a large cannabis factory was found which is currently a crime scene with officers on scene. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
“The Isle of Dogs police station was sold to a private company on 25 February 2022 and is no longer owned by the Metropolitan Police Service.”