A man who possessed thousands of pounds worth of drugs with intent to supply and had a stash of ammunition at his home has walked free from court despite being handed a prison sentence.

Police executed a firearms warrant at an address in Haslingden Old Road in Rossendale on Sunday, January 29.

During the property search officers found a machete, shotgun cartridges, a blank-firing handgun and prohibited ammunition, as well as cannabis and around £2,000 in cash.

On Monday, January 30, Yousuf Khan, 32, of Haslingden Old Road, Rossendale, was arrested and charged with possession of ammunition without a certificate, acquiring or possessing criminal property and possession with intent to supply cannabis.

His house was searched by police who found 2.84g of cannabis in his living room, 149g in his dining room, 225g in his kitchen and 419g in his bedroom, with police experts estimating the street value of the drugs as £7,950.

He appeared to be sentenced at Burnley Crown Court on Monday, September 11, having pleaded guilty to two charges.

He denied charges of possession of a firearm, claiming he was 'looking after it' for a friend, and it was heard his fingerprints were not found on the item.

Khan stated the cannabis was for his own personal use, but he had started to sell small amounts to unload his large supply. 

Recorder Philip Grundy, who sentenced Khan, said: "You are only a young man who comes from a respectable and hard working family.

"Their love for you is shown to me by the fact that they are here today in court, and that is very important.

"But you have let them down. I accept that you are a regular medical user of cannabis, but you made a great mistake of accepting this pistol and ammunition.

"You will recognise how serious this is. But, as you have been able to abstain from cannabis before, I believe you are able to do it again.

"I am confident that the strong family network that you have will get you back to the position you were in before."

Mr Grundy sentenced Khan to 14 months in prison for Class B drug possession and intent to supply, and three months for possession of ammunition without a licence, to be served concurrently, and to hand over the £2,000 cash found in his home. 

However, as Khan has served seven months already on remand, he was allowed to leave court to serve the remainder of his sentence on licence.