A CANNABIS factory was found in a home which caught fire in Dedham.

Firefighters and police were called to the home, in The Heath, when the bungalow began smoking on Wednesday morning.

But when they got there, it is understood they found a number of cannabis plants.

Residents say it is the same home in which the authorities found 284 plants – worth more than £3,500 – in 2008.

Next door neighbour, Dennis Ainger, 91, said: “I can’t believe it has happened again. I never thought it would happen again.”

Mr Ainger said previous the tenants had moved out a few months ago. He added: “Since then, I have never seen anybody come and go or any lights on.

There is a car there, but it hasn’t moved for some time.”

A resident opposite the fire-hit house added: “I haven’t seen people there at all, but I have to say I’m not surprised after what happened before.

“The thing is, everyone in the village probably knows, that’s why we aren’t surprised.”

Another neighbour, who lives two doors from the bungalow, which is called ‘Sundowne’, added: “We have lived here 30 years and to be honest, we have had nothing but trouble.

“No one is surprised about what happens in Sundowne.”

When The Gazette visited the property yesterday, it was cordoned off by police tape at the front and at the side.

A note on the front states the building has become structurally unsound and burnt cannabis could clearly be smelt.