THREE men have been jailed for a total of six and half years following the discovery of a large scale cannabis farm in Wallasey.

When police went to arrest one of the three men involved, Justin Lowry, who had set up the farm, they found that in the interim he had set up another smaller one in his own home.

Lowry, of Reeds Lane East, Leasowe, was today sentenced to 34 months imprisonment for the two offences of producing cannabis, which he admitted.

At an earlier hearing a week ago his two co-accused, Kevin Wilson and Barry Davies, both 37, and also living in Reeds Lane East, who admitted their involvement in the original illicit enterprise, were jailed for 17 months and 27 months respectively.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the trio were involved in producing cannabis at a house in Claremont Road, Wallasey.

Lowry lived there until July 2011 and Davies then took over the tenancy.

When police raided it in December that year they found that the basement had been extensively modified to enable the cannabis farm to be run within it.

A breeze block wall had been built to prevent access and the only way in was through a trap door beneath the stairs.

Graham Pickavance, prosecuting, said that it had been lined with reflective padding to reduce the likelihood of a police helicopter detecting it and a sophisticated ventilation and lighting system had been installed.

It was an ongoing operation and 488 plants were found, about half young cuttings.

Experts estimated that if the plants found had been harvested they had a potential yield of almost 20 kilos with a street value of £368,000.

Lowry had set up the farm with the help of his co-accused and Davies ran it on a day to day basis and Wilson acted as a go between.

Police went to Lowry's home in August last year to arrest him after fingerprint evidence had linked him to the farm.

They found he had set up another cannabis farm, this time in the loft where 36 plants were growing, said Mr Pickavance.

Lowry admitted it was the second crop which he had grown within a specially constructed substructure to reduce the risk of detection by police helicopter. In a safe in his bedroom was found to contain £2,600 cash.