Senior Sergeant Stacey Glenister said a passerby alerted police after the well-lit house aroused suspicion.

Officers were called to the property at around 4.30am on Tuesday, where they discovered the hydroponic set up.

Police backed an unmarked truck into the driveway of the house for the collection of the plants before a Powercor team disconnected the house from mains power at about 2pm.

Shortly after, an officer took a large number of evidence bags onto the premise. No charges were laid at the time The Courier went to press. It was unknown how many plants were obtained at the time of print. The owner of the house – not the current tenant – arrived on the premises at about 2.30pm.

A nearby resident said there was a “glow” coming from the house in the early hours of the morning. The resident said they were “shocked” to learn the dwelling was used as a grow house.

“To have that just over the road is a real shock,” they said. “If there was a fire it would go up in two minutes. I thought there was a fire there this morning (in reference to the glow).”

The Criminal Investigation Unit are continuing their investigations and are urging residents to remain vigilant about the possibilities of illegal activity in their neighbourhoods . 

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Ballarat Police on 5336 6000.