Harworth residents struggled with flickering lights and waiting ages for kettle to boil after electricity supply was stolen to power cannabis farms

Residents complained after their kettles took longer to boil and their lights kept flickering.

A gang had diverted electricity to power growing kit at the industrial unit as well as a nearby house which was also being used by criminals.

Police arrested to people after they discovered the cannabis farm in Plumtree Road, Harworth, on Friday.

A second smaller operation with 30 cannabis plants was found a mile away in a house on Bawtry Road.

The warehouse extracted so much power to run the cannabis farm that tens of thousands of pounds worth of electricity was bypassing the meter.

As a result the industrial estate and nearby properties experienced power cuts.

Resident Susan Spencer, aged 45, said: "It started with the lights dimming and then it took ages for the kettle to boil.

"All the neighbours were saying the same thing but had no idea what the problem might be.

"At first we thought it might be because everyone was using the electrics to keep warm in the cold weather.

"We had no idea it was because all the power was going to grow weed."