A MAN trying to set up his own cannabis farm in yoghurt pots forgot to put the bulb in the heat lamp he bought to help them grow, a court heard.

Police who raided John Allison’s home in Hartlepool found 10 drooping plants in tiny pots which were dying due to lack of light.

Hartlepool magistrates heard on Wednesday how officers discovered the plants by chance in his house in Milton Road as they carried out a raid in a search of missing mayoral chains last month.

Alan Davison, prosecuting, described the plants as four inches high and of very poor quality.

He said police believed Allison, 30, was growing the plants for his own personal use.

Barry Gray, defending, said: "He was using yoghurt pots and a light which didn’t even have a bulb in. Police soon realised they were dealing with the poorest cannabis farm in town, almost laughable in its simplicity."

Pleading guilty to the possession of cannabis charge, Allison was fined £100 and ordered to pay £75 costs.