Cannabis plants that would be worth £75,500 on the street have been seized from a disused Episcopal church in Edinburgh.

Police seized 105 plants when they raided St Kentigern's Church in St Peter's Place, the Edinburgh edition of The Scotsman reports.

The church, on the Union Canal was designed by Scottish architect John More Dick Peddie and opened in 1897. It closed barely four decades later in 1941. It was then used as a nursery and a garage but has been empty for years.

Detective Inspector Stuart Harkness said the cannabis plants had a potential street value of between £50,500 to £75,500.

He said: "Acting on vital intelligence gathered from the public we were able to remove a significant quantity of illegal drugs from our community. As part of our ongoing inquiries I would ask those with any relevant information such as details on the vehicles and people who regularly visited the premises, to contact police immediately.

"We are committed to targeting those who deal in drugs and those involved in serious and organised crime."