Three men have been charged with drugs offences after police discovered a cannabis factory in a rural area just outside Ashford.

Around 2,500 plants were seized with an estimated street value of around £180,000.

Sazan Cenokaci, 33, Drita Mema, 31, and Roland Ziplai, 24, all of no fixed address, have been charged with the production of cannabis.

Officers recovered the plants and associated cultivating equipment after searching the rural site to the east of the borough last Tuesday (April 12).

The men have been remanded in custody and are due to appear at Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday, May 11.

A fourth person, a 36-year-old man from London, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the production of cannabis.

He has been released on bail until June 15.