A ONE-LEGGED businessman's MOT garage in the Cotswolds was also a lucrative cannabis factory, a jury has been told.

Trevor Robins, 45, of Hatherop Road, Fairford, has gone on trial at Gloucester crown court where the jury heard that the cannabis found in his garage would have been worth £27,000 at street prices.

Mr Robins pleaded not guilty to being involved with Stephen Chesterman in the production of cannabis at his garage premises, Cartersfield MoT Centre in Lechlade.

He also denied allowing the premises to be used for the production of cannabis but he admitted a further charge of stealing electricity.

Mary Cowe, prosecuting, told the jury: "Police called at the premises on another matter and 177 cannabis plants were found at varying stages of maturity.

"The other man mentioned in one of the charges, Mr Stephen Chesterman, has already pleaded guilty to producing the drug, and because of this, police found out more about the warehouse where the plants were grown.

"Mr Robins has said that he did not know what was going on in the building."

"When Mr Robins was interviewed as the owner of the building, he said he was paid cash in hand for the rental and had been given a false name," Ms Cowie said.

"But police also found two electricity meters in a cupboard, and both had been pinned to stop recording the electricity used.

"One was found to supply the garage and the other supplied the cannabis factory."

She added that when Mr Robins was asked who he had rented the warehouse to, he did not want to give a name.

"When he was told Stephen Chesterman had been arrested, he told officers that was who had paid him for the warehouse.

"But in a later interview, he said this was a lie and he suggested this information had come from the police themselves."

Miss Cowie added that experts had estimated the 177 plants found in the growing rooms would have produced 9.81kg of cannabis with a street value of £27,243.

The case continues.