A 28-year-old Darwen woman decided to grow her own cannabis in order to cut out the middle man.

Rebecca Cooper, 28, of Olive Lane, Darwen, pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis when she appeared at Blackburn Magistrates Court.

She was fined £200 and ordered to pay £58 costs.

Michael Blacklidge, defending, said his client had no previous convictions for drug related offences.

He said the small scale production had been borne out of curiosity and Cooper had bought ten seeds. "One of them split, giving her 11 plants, but she has never been a gardener and that was her only success," said Mr Blacklidge.

"She says there was hardly anything on the plants and she was expecting a very poor harvest."