Revealed: How cannabis growers are stealing lights from Land Rovers to use on their dope farms because they are easy to remove

• e-mail

Cannabis growing thieves are stripping Land Rovers of their expensive lights to use on lucrative weed farms in the latest of a 'rich car' crime wave plaguing Britain.

Crooks have stolen the lights from several cars in recent days because they are easy to remove and the LEDs found in the 4x4s are more electronically efficient then other forms of lighting.

The growth of cannabis requires a lot of light so LED lights found in Land Rovers have become a viable alternative to the traditional High Pressure Sodium bulbs used in the past by drug dealers.

They also produce an even spread of light, meaning criminals can produce more of the illegal drug.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were nearly 358,000 reported instances of thefts from or of a motor vehicle in 2014 alone.

Crooks have stolen the lights from several cars in Kent in recent days, leaving the owners with bills of up to £600 for replacements. It is thought the lights are being used to grow cannabis

There have been reports of several thefts in Kent, where police are now investigating the incidents.

Resident Adrian Lynch, 44, said his £30,000 Land Rover Discovery was stripped of several fittings last Monday.

He said: 'We have CCTV already, but it isn't working very well because the street lights outside have been turned off for repair works.

'When I rang the Land Rover dealership on Tuesday morning, they said that I was the third to ring up that morning that this had happened to.

'To me it's just a real inconvenience.'

Mr Lynch now plans to install security screws on his lights to prevent them from being stolen again.

Police have said the powerful LED bulbs can be used to simulate the environment which makes the plants flourish.

There have been reports of several thefts in Kent, where police are now investigating the incidents. Resident Adrian Lynch, 44, said his £30,000 Land Rover Discovery was stripped of several fittings last Monday. He has been left to foot a £580 replacement parts bill

But it will cost the family more than £580 to replace the lights, excluding the bulbs and fitting costs.

The paintwork of the 4x4 was also damaged when the thieves removed the parts.

Previous incidences of Land Rovers being stripped of their lights have been linked to cannabis growing. 

Paul Barrett, who runs the dealership in Canterbury, where Mr Lynch bought his car, said there have been several recent reports of lights being removed from vehicles.

In 2016, brazen thieves in Leicester targetted a police Land Rover parked in its station looting the bonnet and all four doors. Criminals were said to have been targeting the iconic 4x4s for parts to sell online since they went out of production in 2015

He said: 'We know some Land Rover parts do get stolen and sold for spares on the black market.'

This is not the first time Land Rovers, as well as other luxury 4x4 vehicles have been targetted for their lights.

In 2014, West Yorkshire launched a special investigation, dubbed Operation Emporia, to deal with similar thefts.

As well as rear lights, front lights, grills and bonnets were all reported as stolen in a spate of thefts plaguing the region.

Criminals targetted the high value parts which would fetch a high price on the black market. 

Victims complained that the thefts could be completed in as little as 30 seconds and calls were made for the manufacturer to take action.

While in 2016, brazen thieves in Leicester targetted a police Land Rover parked in its station looting the bonnet and all four doors. 

Criminals were said to have been targeting the iconic 4x4s for parts to sell online since they went out of production in 2015. 

Along with Land Rovers, Audi RS4 models were also targetted after it emerged that the German company had stopped making replacements.