An Albanian man in England, whose home was accidentally discovered to be growing cannabis by the repairmen he had called, tried to hide from the police by climbing onto the roof.

The plumber he had called to his home in Liverpool had located a full-scale drug factory and alerted the police.

Arriving officers discovered about 200 illegal plants and called it "a sophisticated cannabis operation across six rooms of the apartment."

The Albanian tried to escape from the police by climbing onto the roof, but was eventually arrested.

Yesterday at Liverpool Crown Court it was said that 32-year-old Lika was "hired" by someone else to look after the illegal cultivation of cannabis.

Prosecutor Christopher Hopkins said: "Lika was hired to manage and manage the plants by looking after them."

Authorities said they don't know much about the illegal immigrant.

The defendant's lawyer, Olivia Beesley, said Likas had been offered £100 a day to carry out his work and that he had left Albania for financial reasons. He had crossed the English Channel in an illegal boat in September 2022 and claims to have paid €5,000 for the dangerous journey.

He added: "He wanted to work but didn't know how to do it legally. The defendant understands that he must be punished for his misconduct and is ready to accept it."

He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. The court ordered the seizure and destruction of the drugs found.