A HUGE cannabis farm was found inside a disused town centre nightclub — after officers and shoppers sniffed out the potent drug.

Police uncovered the haul — with a street value of about £250,000 — after raids on two former nightclubs this morning.

The “large-scale and organised” operation was discovered after The Late Club and Club Ice in Bank Street were searched at 8.40am.

Tip-offs from members of the public, as well as town centre bobbies, led detectives to the estimated 500 plants on the first floor of the building.

Forensic experts combed the scene before the plants were bagged up and removed this afternoon.

Sgt Kev Lister, of Bolton Central neighbourhood policing team, said the farm was the biggest he had seen in his police career.

Officers estimated that between 450 and 500 plants were found in the raid, which have a street value of roughly £500 each.

The plants have a street value of between £200,000 and £250,000, while it is believed the farm would have had the potential to yield more than £1 million over 12 months.

Sgt Lister said: “We are very happy with how things have gone today.

“This is an established and highly organised cannabis farm which has been running for some months.

“It is the biggest operation of its kind that I have come across during my time in the service.

“We have conducted a methodical search of the building to make sure no one is inside.

"It was a large-scale and mature cannabis farm.”

The plants were organised into 16 pods, while each one was housed under a tarpaulin cover, with independent light and heating.

The offenders had by-passed the electricity supply, and police searched the clubs for dividers after cutting the electricity supply make the area safe.

Officers had to cut the plants and bag them by torchlight, with a sample from each of the 16 pods removed for analysis.

Sgt Lister added: “It is early in the investigation, but detectives have attended the scene and gathered forensic and photographic evidence.

“We had received quite a few reports as the smell had become quite strong in certain areas.”

Earlier this year, police across Greater Manchester sent out “scratch and sniff” cards to 10,000 homes so members of the public could recognise the smell of the illegal plant.

The cards emitted the sickly sweet smell of cannabis, which the plant emits as it is growing.

The leaflets also warned residents to look out for high-tech equipment, covered or blocked windows, lighting and buzzing ventilation.

The building formerly housed two nightclubs but an internal wall had been knocked through.

Bolton Council said both clubs had been shut for more than a year.

The Late Club closed on July 23, 2013, and Club Ice shut several months previously.

The building’s licence expired in April this year because of insolvency, a council spokesman added.

Police are yet to make any arrests.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 5619 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.