A CANNABIS factory was set up at a Bury house using equipment worth £1,000, a court has heard.

Bury magistrates were told that Michael John Green had set up the operation to provide himself with supplies of the drug because he said he could not afford to buy it from dealers

Green, aged 27, of Nuttall Street, Bury, admitted cultivating cannabis and was remanded on bail for sentence until February 17.

Jacqueline Stott, prosecuting, said police arriving at Green's address saw an unusually bright light illuminating a rear bedroom.

Inside they found lights, hydroponics equipment and other paraphernalia relating to cannabis production, as well as a quantity of the drug.

Green was said to have a previous drug-related conviction.

Martin Pizzey, defending, said taking cannabis was a long-term issue for Green, who had wrongly believed cannabis was on a par with paracetamol and was not illegal any more.

He also argued that producing his own cannabis was cheaper than buying it.

Mr Pizzey added that Green had only paid £200 for the second-hand equipment rather than the £1,000 value put on it by police.