A 49-year-old telephone engineer was such a successful gardener that a crop of cannabis he raised came to the attention of police, a court was told.

Stephen McCulloch, of Tolladine Road, Worcester, pleaded guilty to producing and possessing the drug when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court.

The six large and bushy plants could be valuable but it was accepted that he was growing the drug for his own use, said Charles Hamer, prosecuting.

McCulloch was given a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete 80 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £360 court costs and his drug-making equipment was confiscated.

Martin Butterworth, defending, said McCulloch had been frightened by his own success with the cannabis plants.

His objective had been only to satisfy his 25-year addiction of smoking the drug.

He had enrolled on a £7,000 course to re-train as an electrician and intended to deal with his addiction to cannabis.

Judge Nicholas Cole said there was no evidence that McCulloch was taking part in a 'sophisticated commercial operation'. There was a modest number of plants and it was accepted that they were for his own use.