A tree surgeon fell foul of the law when he branched out into growing cannabis in his father’s field, a court heard.

Police swooped after residents reported a pungent smell from the drug and electrical buzzing on the land at The Three Suns in Hampstead Lane, Nettlestead.

Officers followed their noses and found two containers of plants totalling almost 100 in a corner of the field with a possible yield worth up to £117,000.

Sam Harris, 27, admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis and abstracting electricity and was jailed for two years and eight months on Wednesday.

The father-of-three had been given a community order in June last year for a similar offence committed at his home in Plumstead, south east London, where 24 plants were found growing.

Maidstone Crown Court was told although the field was owned by Harris’ father, he admitted he was to blame. Fingerprints on tools confirmed his involvement.

Judge Julian Smith said it was a sophisticated and organised set-up capable of producing quantities for commercial use.

He said: “The scale of the operation is perfectly clear.

“Some of the plants were near to harvest. There would have been a significant quantity of high quality cannabis produced.”

Harris also stole more than £4,000 of electricity to grow the plants.

Det Con Marc Symonds, the investigating officer, said: "Seizing the plants when the officers did was a great result. If they were not found when at that time, I have no doubt that the cannabis would have ended up on our streets.

"Harris’ offending was made all the worse because he had decided to abstract electricity to grow the plants. This created a significant fire risk and could have seriously endangered the lives of people in the nearby vicinity."