A 56-year-old man has been jailed after a drug factory was discovered at his family home.

Ford Sexton appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday, and was sentenced to two years and six months for the production of cannabis.

He will also serve a 15 month sentence, to run concurrently, for abstracting electricity.

Police executed a warrant at his house in Lombardy Drive, near Vinters Park, in May last year and discovered more than 200 cannabis plants.

The drugs were found in a double-garage, a large summer house and parts of the home.

The fully-insulated summer house was powered by electricity by-passing the property’s electricity meter.

Inside, officers found a dedicated growing room complete with nine grow lamps, an extractor unit, timers, a fan, a humidifier and a humidity reader.

Drug experts agreed that the potential of Sexton’s drugs factory could produce skunk cannabis with an estimated street value of more than £64,000.

Sexton was arrested and admitted the producing cannabis and abstracting electricity during the police interview.

Investigating officer DC Wayne Totterdell, from the Kent and Essex Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: "The lengths to which Sexton went to set up this organised cannabis factory are clear in the evidence we found and he had no alternative to admit his guilt during interview.

"This was a sophisticated operation with plants at varying stages of growth and technical equipment was installed to make this as an efficient operation as possible.

"This sentence sends out a clear message that the production of illegal drugs will not be tolerated."