Pensby Hotel landlord allowed £400,000 cannabis farm to be set up above pub

Shane Blanshard was arrested after police found 538 plants in an upstairs flat of the premises in Pensby on November 11 last year

A Wirral pub landlord who allowed a £400,000 cannabis farm to be set up above his business was today, Wednesday, beginning a two year jail sentence.

The secret factory was discovered by police at the well known landmark pub, the Pensby Hotel, when they called about a licensing issue.

They found 538 plants in an upstairs flat of the premises in Ridgewood Drive, Pensby, Wirral on November 11 last year and landlord Shane Blanshard was arrested.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the farm was "fully functioning and sophisticated" and featured 112 lighting rigs and 75 electric transformers.

There were 281 mature plants and the estimated yield was 21.8kg which would be worth between £200,000 and £400,000 at street value, said Ken Grant, prosecuting.

Blanshard, 53, a father-of-four, of Thingwall Road, Irby, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.

Laura Tipping, defending, said that there was "some element of pressure, intimidation and exploitation" by others after Blanshard had informed police about an earlier cannabis farm.

She said Blanshard, had been forced to allow the farm to be set up in his pub to pay them back and because he feared for his family.

The judge, Recorder Charles Garside, QC, told him, "You were the owner of the pub and you must have known where the cannabis farm was.

"I accept that all this happened after you told police about a cannabis farm in premises you were responsible for looking after and thereafter you suffered threats which caused you to allow what happened at the Pensby Hotel to happen.

"All you were trying to do was get those threatening you off your back and pay back a debt they said you owed them because you reported the first cannabis farm."

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But he told Blanshard, who has no previous convictions, that he should have told the police.

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/11506337.Pensby_Hotel_landlord_allowed___400_000_cannabis_farm_to_be_set_up_above_pub/ 01/10/2014