A Kent MP is pressing for the end to sales of over-the-counter cannabis seeds, used to grow drugs.

Thanet North MP Roger Gale has put in a parliamentary question, calling for the trade to be properly licensed.

At the moment anyone can go into a shop and buy the seeds, and then grow the class B drug - even though they can't legally buy the developed cannabis.

The issue has been raised after it was revealed a Maidstone store is selling such seed packets.

UK Skunkworks, a so-called "legal high" shop in Mill Street, allows customers to buy the seeds from as little as £35 – all completely within the law.

The packets, which claim to offer a "super uplifting high" when grown, can be bought as easily as a pint of milk.

Now Sir Roger has challenged the sale, and is expecting a response from Home Secretary Theresa May today.

He said: "I was astonished to discover very recently while the growing of cannabis is effectively illegal, and certainly the use of cannabis is illegal as a restricted substance, the sale of the seeds from which it is possible to grow the plants to create the cannabis is perfectly legal over the counter.

"It seems to me that it's a complete nonsense to have a situation where on the one hand a substance is illegal, but on the other hand the means of growing it is not."

He said he would like to see the seeds available only under strict licence.

The MP also challenged the view that it was up to the user what they wanted to do with their body - as drugs could lead to addiction, which cost the NHS dearly.

A UK Skunkworks spokesman has previously said: "The seeds we sell are strictly for preservation and conservation purposes.

"If we suspect any customer has the intention of using the seeds in any illicit form we will simply not sell the seeds to them."