A dad who grew a ‘sophisticated’ £17,000 cannabis farm in the bedrooms of a terraced house has been jailed.

Michael Tang, 33, rented the two-bedroom house on Shuttleworth Street, Rishton, for six months before police raided the property last August.

Officers found 40 well-grown and healthy cannabis plants in a ‘sophisticated’ growing setup alongside drug growing paraphernalia including fans, lights, insulating material and heaters, a court was told.

Father-of-two Tang was jailed for 12 months by Judge Simon Newell at Burnley Crown Court this week. Sentencing the cannabis addict, the judge said it was a serious case which warranted custody.

He said: “There are no signs of residence by anyone at the property. This is a serious matter that warrants custody.”

Prosecutor Stephen Parker told the court that police raided the £400-a-month rented property on August 17 last year, and discovered two separate cannabis set-ups, each containing 20 healthy plants, in two bedrooms.

A forensic scientist, who examined a sample of the plants, said the crop could have yielded a total of 1.7 kilos of cannabis with a street value of £17,080 and a wholesale value of £8,000, Mr Parker added.

The court heard that this was Tang’s first attempt to grown cannabis and he had intended to grow it for personal use and sell any extra to ‘friends and associates’.

Tang, of Shuttleworth Street, Rishton, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis between January and August 2013.

Christopher Moran, defending, said Tang has recently got back together with the mother of his two children and was described by her as ‘an excellent father’.

Mr Moran said jobless Tang is a heavy and regular cannabis smoker and suffers from depression, but has recently been offered a job.

He said Tang had a ‘moment of clarity’ after the offence and plans to move in with his partner once again, adding: “The thought of prison is something that terrifies him.”