A 41-year-old man described by his solicitor as “Wyre Forest’s worst cannabis cultivator” fell asleep as he was boiling plants on a stove, a court was told.

The fire alarm went off at Paul O’Leary’s flat in Maureen Aston Court, Broad Street, Kidderminster, at 1.30am on December 13.

Firefighters attended the scene and when they were unable to gain entry, they called the police.

An officer was able to push his way in, said Charles Hardy, prosecuting.

A search of the flat revealed equipment for producing cannabis, as well as a small quantity of the drug in a bin liner.

Analysis showed the drug was of extremely poor quality. Mr Hardy said: “A report showed all the signs of an amateur producer and the quality would have made it impossible to sell.”

O’Leary, who pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis, was given a 24-month jail sentence suspended for nine months and ordered to carry out 200 hours’ unpaid work.

Gary Harper, defending, said it was the first time O’Leary had tried to cultivate cannabis and he was very much an amateur.

His motivation was to save money as he was a cannabis user.

He had been drinking and he fell asleep.