A 44-year-old Vietnamese man nabbed by neighbours who suspected he was running a sophisticated cannabis farm in his Cradley Heath home has been jailed for eight months.

The public spirited neighbours made a citizen's arrest and then held onto Thuy Huang until police officers arrived on the scene in Northgate.

Thuang, who will be deported back to Vietnam when he has completed his spell behind bars, was growing 252 cannabis plants inside the four bedroomed property.

When police officers raided the house they also seized equipment used in the illegal growing operation including lighting and transformers.

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the house was rented by a man who informed the landlord it would be some time before he would be able to move into the premises.

But the neighbours then became highly suspicious and they alerted the authorities because of concerns the controlled drug was being cultivated.

"When the officers arrived they found the defendant being held by the neighbours outside the property," Mr Jones told Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Huang of no fixed address admitted producing cannabis having come to the United Kingdom to try and get a job so he could send money back to his family in his home country.

Simon Hanns, defending, said:"We have seen many cases similar to this before where people from Vietnam try to provide an income for their relatives."

Judge John Steel QC told Huang it was accepted he had played the lesser role of gardener in the cannabis growing operation but he had looked after the plants and for that he had to be punished.