Cannabis plant grows in Tunbridge Wells flower display

When they called it 'leafy Tubridge Wells', this isn't quite what they had in mind. The leafy Kent town got a bit leafier after pranksters sneaked a cannabis plant into a floral display near the Millennium Clock in Calverley Road.

Martin Steers said he was amazed no one had noticed the plant

It's thought council gardeners watered the plant for weeks before it was spotted, growing in a pot of red and white flowers, by Tunbridge Wells resident Martin Steers last week.

"I had gone up to town first thing in the morning on Wednesday," said Mr Steers, 47. "As I was walking through town I saw the plant. It was about two feet tall and didn't fit in.

"I took a couple of photos and walked up to it. I squeezed one of the leaves to double check what I thought it was and I recognised the smell."

A keen gardener with a knowledge of plants, Mr Steers says he was certain it was a cannabis plant.

"It was right by the Millennium Clock," he added. "That's what I found so surprising, because it was big and obvious, and people were walking past.

The cannabis plant growing in Tunbridge Wells

"I just stood there dumbfounded, thinking 'why isn't anyone noticing this huge plant?'

"As I was leaving town I walked round to the police station and showed a police officer the photos I'd taken. He was amazed. He said 'good lord, that's an established plant. They must have been watering it for some time.'

"I laughed and asked if that makes them criminally responsible. He said it had made his morning."

"I think it's a prank," he added. "I think someone has heard about it happening in other places and thought it was a good idea."

A statement from Tunbridge Wells Council said: “A member of the public reported what they described as a cannabis plant in a planter in the town centre.

“The plant has been removed." Police meanwhile have not yet weeded out any suspects.

A statement added: "Kent Police was called at 12pm on Wednesday July 27, to a report that a suspected cannabis plant was growing in a public area in Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells.

"Attending officers were unable to confirm the plant was cannabis as it had not matured enough to produce any drugs for consumption. Advice was given to the local council to remove it as precaution."