Two men have been jailed after using rabbit hay to conceal more than £10m worth of cannabis in a lorry.

The drugs were discovered with the help of a sniffer dog named Sonny after the vehicle was stopped at the Dartford Crossing on May 12, 2016.

Officers had pulled the lorry over at around 9am and searched its container when the driver failed to provide information or any relevant paperwork on what he was transporting.

With Sonny's help, police discovered that several pallets holding boxes of rabbit hay were being used to hide a huge supply of cannabis with an estimated street value of £10.2m.

Mark Owens, 58, of Beach Road in Clacton, Essex and Paul Seabrook, 52, of Kendal Croft in Hornchurch, Essex, were sentenced today at Woolwich Crown Court for involvement in the drug supply conspiracy.

Seabrook was found to have been involved in arranging collection of the shipment in April 2016, after his telephone number was provided by the associate of a lorry driver who was due to make the pick-up.

Owens, who was arrested on January 25, 2018, was proven to have had contact with Seabrook around the time of the policy discovery.

He also had use of a site next door to the lorry's intended destination in Rainham, Essex, and an earlier shipment supposedly containing rabbit hay in April 2016.

After pleading guilty to conspiring to supply cannabis, he was imprisoned for nine years and six months, while Seabrook received nine years after being convicted following a trial.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector James Derham said: "Criminals often go to great lengths to cover up their illegal activities, and on this occasion they tried to do so literally by placing packets of rabbit hay on top of more than £10 million worth of cannabis.

"Conspiring to sell drugs is a serious crime and we are committed to targeting the organised groups who believe the law does not apply to them and who put their own financial interests above all else.

"I hope the outcome of this case sends a strong message to such offenders that we are committed and equipped to tackling organised crime groups across the county and beyond."

The seized rabbit hay has since been donated to the RSPCA.