Council tricked into watering cannabis plants in public flowerpots for 20 years

Man who changed his name to Free Cannabis was former winner of flower show featuring the plant

Cannabis is a Class B drug in the UK (Getty)

A man who runs a hemp shop in Glastonbury has been surreptitiously dropping cannabis seeds into public flower displays for two decades, thereby getting the council to water the plants.

His activities were discovered when a cannabis plant that had grown in a public display outside his shop for almost 20 years was ripped up by the council after someone complained to police.

Business owner and campaigner Free Cannabis, who changed his name from Rob by deed poll in 1997, said the removal of the plant from the display outside his shop, Hemp in Avalon, was “sad and shocking”.

The plant had become an unofficial part of the display outside the shop for 18 years, the business owner told SomersetLive.

He said: “I and others come along and drop the seeds into the tubs, they get watered by nature – and the council.

“I am amazed that people get so excited about this, it's a sad reflection of society's hemp-phobia."

Mr Cannabis's shop Hemp in Avalon in Glastonbury (Google)

A town councillor confirmed cannabis plants had cropped up “from time to time”, but that they were usually removed.

Mr Cannabis also won the 1998 Glastonbury in Bloom award in 1998 for a display featuring the plant. However on that occasion the authorities also stepped in and Mr Cannabis received a 12-month conditional discharge.

Despite the setback for Mr Cannabis, the plant lived on, until this week, when the council removed the it following the complaint made on a Glastonbury community Facebook page.

PC Stuart Ball said: "The small, single plant was removed by the council on Tuesday, having been found in a council-owned basket.

“Cannabis is a controlled substance and we would take a vigorous approach to anyone found growing it for supply purposes

The Independent was unable to contact Free Cannabis for comment.