Police believe an elderly Vietnamese or Taiwanese woman who lived alone in a rented house just a few yards from Marlborough police station was a front for a cannabis growing racket.

When neighbours returning from a party at 1am on Sunday reported seeing the house in Culvermead Close empty and insecure police found that four of the rooms had been used as a high-tech cannabis farm with lighting equipment to encourage the plants to grow using a sophisticated hydroponic growing system.

When officers searched the house after neighbours said they were concerned for the elderly Oriental woman who they believed had lived alone they found a number of immature cannabis plants although they suspected that a crop of mature plants had been taken away.

The woman who rented the house was missing but police said they had no concerns for her safety and believed she was a front for the illegal cannabis farm.

A neighbour who asked not to be named said: “As we walked past the house just after one o’clock in the morning we could see that the front door was open.

“We looked inside and we could see electrical wires hanging and another neighbour dialled 999 and called the police.

“The woman had lived there for some months and although she lived alone she had other Vietnamese or Taiwanese men visit her late at night who we understood were her sons.

“We were under the impression that they only came late at night because they ran restaurants in another town.”

The elderly woman never spoke any English and one neighbour said :”She kept herself to herself and we knew virtually nothing about her.”

The house was privately rented from an absentee landlord who had previously rented it through Sarsen Housing to a local family, now rehoused in Pewsey.

Sgt Ben Braine confirmed that police suspected the house had been used as a cannabis farm. “Inside officers found a quantity of young and immature plants which would indicate that the house had been used for a cannabis growing operation.

“All the mature plants had been taken away but a number of immature plants were still in the house.”

Investigating officers have been told by neighbours that a white van used to pull up at the house late at night and men were seen removing a number of black bags which, said Sgt Braine, presumably contained the mature cannabis plants.

“We would like to hear from anyone who saw vehicles going to the house especially if they managed to get registration numbers,” the sergeant said.

Police had the house secured while their investigations continue.