Man seen breaking into his own flat in Northampton is arrested... over suspected cannabis grow

A man's efforts to get inside his flat after locking himself out ended up being arrested on suspicion of growing cannabis as onlookers thought he was a burglar.
A police officer talks to Jamie Ridley outside his flat after the incidentA police officer talks to Jamie Ridley outside his flat after the incident
A police officer talks to Jamie Ridley outside his flat after the incident

Police were called after a man was seen breaking a window and climbing into the property on Bridge Street at around 11.40am on Friday (August 2).

The flat is next to a car park on Angel Street behind The Balloon Bar nightclub, which is unconnected to the apartment.

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Northamptonshire County Council staff watched from the building opposite as police arrived on Angel Street and broke a hole in the fence to get up to the flat.

A police officer talks to Jamie Ridley outside his flat after the incidentA police officer talks to Jamie Ridley outside his flat after the incident
A police officer talks to Jamie Ridley outside his flat after the incident

An officer approached the window cautiously, opened it and a man eventually stepped out.

Later the man was spoken to by the officer, while a police dog barked at him, before he was arrested.

However, he was not taken in by police on suspicion of burglary. Northamptonshire Police has reported finding a suspected cannabis grow at the property, adding that the man in question had simply left his keys inside the flat.

Eyewitnesses said that officers stayed for hours collecting equipment, which onlookers thought was used to manufacture drugs, before leaving.