Police discover first cannabis farm in London financial district

LONDON (Reuters) - The first cannabis farm has been found in London's historic financial district, where office buildings have been emptied because of lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19, British police said on Wednesday.

The City of London Police said 826 cannabis plants were found in a building near the Bank of England. The police said there were reports of a "strong smell of cannabis", which led to the raid.

"This is the first cannabis factory in the City, no doubt being set up in response to fewer people being out and about during the pandemic who might have noticed any unusual activity," the police said in a statement.

The City of London, which is home to the world's largest commercial insurance market, banks and fund managers, has been largely deserted since March after most employees were asked to work from home.

During an online event on Wednesday, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said people are likely to make jokes about what the central bank's staff have been doing.

"We are now going to be the subject of endless jokes about ‘now we know what the Bank of England has been on,'" he said. "I’m sure there will be many other jokes. It is very quiet around the Bank of England, I should say."

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Paul Simao)