LANDLORD Shaun Thomas was horrified to discover his Trowbridge home had been transformed into a cannabis factory.

The 28-year-old former Army officer was inspecting his house in Cloford Close when he found 500 cannabis plants worth £250,000, eight tonnes of equipment and soil, and £20,000 worth of damage to his home.

Mr Thomas and his wife Katie, who have three children, had rented out their home after they moved to be closer to his job as an aircraft engineer, but a new position in the area meant that they wanted to move back to Trowbridge.

When he visited the house on October 11 his tenant refused him access to one bedroom, which had been padlocked. Claiming he needed to make a phonecall to his sister in order to get the room opened, the man made his escape and has not been seen since.

Mr Thomas broke the padlock to reveal a room packed with cannabis plants. He said: “He said he was going to make a call but it took a while and when I went to check I saw them legging it down the street. I kicked the door in and what I found was an impressive set-up.

“I was so shocked and angry. I just couldn’t believe my eyes.” The tenants, who are believed to be a man and woman in their 20s from Vietnam, had lived in Cloford Close since July 2010, paying £850 a month rent.

A survey of the house found damage to four rooms and a garage, while eight tonnes of material stored in the attic had left with the house with structural damage. Roofing felt had been removed by the tenants, meaning that the whole roof will have to be retiled.

There is now water damage and damp throughout the house and no electricity supply, after the meter was bypassed. All the carpets and the bath, which had had chemicals sprayed in it, need replacing.

A massive clean-up operation took several skips of rubbish from the house and Mr Thomas is also hoping he will not have to cover an unpaid £1,400 council tax bill.

The damage is not covered by insurance and their family are appealing for help from local builders. Mrs Thomas’ father Tony Scrivener said: “The tenants made so much damage to the house it is unhabitable at the moment. We would welcome any help that local tradesman might be able to offer to help get Shaun and Katie back on their feet.”

PC Jade Coupland, from Trowbridge Police, said: “The offenders are still outstanding and we have further lines of inquiry to complete.”