Two men found guilty of creating the biggest cannabis factory ever found in Wiltshire have been jailed for more than two years.

On September 8 last year police raided a unit on the Portemarsh Industrial Estate in Calne and discovered more than 400 cannabis plants as well as a huge amount of the harvested drug.

Ian Walding, 43, of Hinton Parva, near Swindon, and Richard Lambert, 55, of Welwyn Garden City, were subsequently charged in respect of the cannabis factory, possession of controlled drugs found at their home addresses and an offence of money laundering.

The men appeared before Swindon Crown Court on Friday in relation to the commercial production of cannabis and each was sentenced to a total of 27 months in prison and a forfeiture order was made in respect of the items seized by the police during the investigation.

Chief Inspector of Wiltshire and Kennet Gavin Williams said: “A substantial amount of cannabis has been seized and I am really pleased with the result.

“We don’t know yet if this was intended to be sold in the UK or abroad but the most important aspect is these people and their operations have been brought to a halt.

“This sends out a clear message to people. If you are producing drugs you can expect us to come and find you.”

Calne Sergeant Phil Connor said: “This is the most sophisticated operation I have ever seen. They had special lights, temperature gauges and even ozone producing equipment to eliminate the smell of the drug.”