A man has admitted growing a cannabis farm in a disused Northumberland village pub.

As previously reported by Chroniclelive, police found plants of the class B drug inside the Railway Hotel, in Rothbury, earlier this week.

Officers searched the former pub, which closed its doors in 2018 and has stood empty since, after an electricity company raised concerns about the level of power usage.

Around 298 cannabis plants, with a street value of between £28,000 to £190,000, depending on their yield, were discovered.

Adi Doda, of no fixed abode, was arrested and charged with one count of producing a class B drug but made no replies to questions in interview.

However, the 25-year-old appeared before South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to plead guilty to the offence.

James Long, prosecuting, said police discovered the cannabis farm on Monday, June 7, and arrested Doda soon after.

Magistrates deemed that their powers to finalise the case were insufficient and committed Doda, who is from Albania and spoke through in interpreter, to Newcastle Crown Court.

He was remanded in custody to next appear there on July 8.

At the time of the farm's discovery, a spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "At about 2.20pm on Monday we received a report from an electric company that a cannabis farm had been found inside the Railway Hotel pub.

"Officers attended the scene and about 100 plants were removed and destroyed.