A Maidstone man will spend more than a year behind bars after police found £50,000 of cannabis at his home.

Nigel Iddiols was arrested in 2013 after officers found 50 plants in the back of a rented van.

Equipment used in the production of the drug was also found inside his Westmoreland Road property.

The 53-year-old, of Shepway, denied his involvement in the production of the Class B substance but was found guilty and jailed for 14 months at Maidstone Crown Court.

Investigating officer Det Con James Chichester said: “Despite being caught red handed with a large amount of drugs in the back of a van rented in his name and a level of sophisticated equipment used to produce cannabis within his own home, He still tried to claim he was not involved in the production of cannabis.

“Drugs ruin lives and impact greatly upon the local community, and Kent Police maintains a zero tolerance approach to anyone caught attempting to benefit from them financially. Mr Iddiols now has plenty of time to consider the consequences of his actions.

“We at Kent Police are determined to do all we can to keep drugs out of our communities and every arrest and sentence is one step closer to us achieving that goal.”