LARGE scale cannabis plantations were discovered in Newlyn following an operation targeting criminals on roads.

Using a vehicle-fitted number plate reading technology, Penzance police stopped and seized cars over the bank holiday weekend.

During the four-day stint, four cars were seized for offences such as driving without insurance or driving licence and more than a dozen people were reported for traffic offences.

The operation was led by PCs Joy Richardson and Dan Care.

PC Richardson said: "A car stopped on Friday resulted in a 54-year-old local man being arrested for possession of a suspected Class B drug with intent to supply. Further searches of addresses, including Newlyn, found cannabis being grown on a large scale. The system reads a number plate in seconds and searches several police databases and will indicate to us if there is information held on the vehicle. We can then stop the vehicle and investigate further.

"The operation was a success and we are likely to conduct similar exercises in the future."

The arrested man was later bailed to return to Camborne Police Station at a later date.