POLICE discovered 48 cannabis cuttings growing in two trays in a bath when they raided a Malvern house.

Gerald Clark and his son Timothy planned to sell the cuttings for £10 each to raise money for Christmas.

Also found were 63 grams of skunk cannabis and five wraps of amphetamine, Worcester Crown Court heard.

If the cuttings had reached maturity they could have produced drugs with a street value of up to £9,600, said Mary Wallace, prosecuting.

But the set-up was unsophisticated with no special heating or lighting and some plants were very spindly.

Gerald Clark, aged 56, of Moat Crescent, Malvern, and 20-year-old Timothy Clark, of The Glade, Malvern, pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis and possession of the drug.

The father, who had a previous conviction for cannbais production, also admitted possession of the amphetamine.

Judge John Cavell said although it was a small operation the defendants knew perfectly well what they were doing and saw it as a quick way to make money.

He sentenced father and son to four months jail each, suspended for two years. Gerald Clark must also do 150 hours of unpaid community work and his son 100 hours. They must each pay £150 court costs.

The father's home was raided on November 4 last year.

The cuttings had been grown from a mother plant.

Unemployed Gerald Clark told police he was trying to cultivate them after the mother plant was given to him. He smoked two cannabis joints a day.

Timothy Clark, a groundsman, spent £140 a week on his cannabis habit. Father and son planned to split any profits.

Adam Western, defending, said the father was in poor health from foot and sciatica problems. The son expected to be taken on in a full time capacity in the near future.