SWAK! Talk about bad luck!
The article will go offline tomorrow so I had to C&P below:

The Argus: Huge cannabis factory discovered in central Hove
“ONE of the biggest cannabis factories discovered in Brighton and Hove was given away by a leaking pipe.

Hundreds of plants of the drug could have been quietly growing unnoticed for months in a busy area of Hove. But then a hydroponic system, used to water and feed the crop, sprang a leak.

Water dripped down from the rooms housing the operation and started leaking into a shop below. The flood spread across the shop floor, seeped under the front door and was spotted by passers by. They alerted the emergency services but when police arrived they discovered more than they bargained for.

Rooms had been knocked into one to provide two large factory floors in the building in Western Road, Hove. The hydroponic growing equipment, controlled by timers, was hooked up to provide plants with water, feed and artificial sunshine. Hundreds of plants in various stages of growth covered the floors and there were scores of seedlings. Cultivated plants were strung up on walls and ceilings to dry out. The operation was so big that officers from front page yesterday took four hours to search the property.

Firefighters were called to the Paint Emporium shop on the ground floor of the property on Thursday evening. They found water pouring through the shop’s front door and firefighters had to climb up scaffolding to get into a first-floor window to stop the flooding. They fixed the faulty pipe just as police arrived. Police guarded the scene yesterday as forensic experts uncovered the scale of the enterprise.

Neighbours were unaware they had been living and working alongside the largest dope factory ever found in Hove. David Donno, who runs the nearby Naked Eye art gallery, said: “I have smelt cannabis in the street sometimes but just thought it was people using it as they walked by. “It was a bit of a shock finding out what had been going on.”

Frank Patten, who runs a watch and clock makers opposite, said: “I was serving a customer when a policeman came in, showed me his identity card, and asked if I knew anything. I hadn’t a clue. “What police found hardly surprised me – there are plenty of these operations around.”

Sergeant Richard Delacour, in charge of the police investigation, said: “We’ve never seen a cannabis factory this big before.” One man was arrested and police inquiries were continuing.”