POLICE in Warminster have urged the public to be 'extra vigilant' after the discovery of a cannabis factory in the town.

Daniel Alford, 23, and Carl Evans, 25, both of Vicarage Street, were each sentenced to 160 hours community service by magistrates at Chippenham on Friday after police found 96 cannabis plants in a raid on their home in June.

Sergeant Mark Andrews, of Warminster police, said the sentence sends out a clear message to cannabis users that the drug is still illegal.

Sgt Andrews said: "This sentence demonstrates to any individual thinking of producing cannabis that the courts will punish them to the absolute limits.

"Since cannabis was downgraded to a class C drug people seem to think it is now legal. I can assure everybody that is certainly not the case.

"We will be doing everything in our power to prevent people from producing the drug here in Warminster."

Alford and Evans both admitted producing the drug for their own personal use after police discovered the plants, along with more than £1,000 of specialised equipment, during the raid on June 16.

At an earlier hearing on July 7 Chippenham magistrates heard the pair bought lights, heaters and fans to cultivate the plants in an attempt to save money on buying from dealers.

Sgt Andrews urged members of the public to come forward with any information they might have regarding the production of cannabis.

He said: "People in our community must now be extra vigilant towards any such drug activity. I would encourage the public to share any evidence with us so we can eliminate the production of such drugs."

Sgt Andrews said education is the key to combating the current drug problem. He believes a concerted effort is now required to inform young people about the pitfalls of drug abuse.

"It is now down to parents, the education services and the media to provide as much information about cannabis as possible," he said.

"We as a local police force have been to visit schools in an attempt to get the message across but we now need the help of everyone."