THE caretaker of historic Worcestershire wartime tunnels has been warned he is facing jail after a jury found him guilty of allowing them to be used for growing cannabis.

Wayne Robinson, of Marlpool Lane, Kidderminster, was found guilty by a majority of eleven to one after deliberating for more than five hours following a retrial at Worcester Crown Court.

The 48-year-old has pleaded guilty to having a shotgun and ammunition without the required certificates and will be sentenced for all three offences in the week of July 11.

Judge Abbas Mithani QC told Robinson he was granting him bail and ordering a pre-sentence report but warned him it was more than likely he would get an immediate prison sentence.

He said people must be deterred from permitting premises to be used for growing these "very dangerous" drugs which would be sold to members of the public.

The jury was told police found 900 cannabis plants, which could produce a yield worth £70,000, growing in one of the Drakelow Tunnels at Wolverley on November 27, 2013.

The prosecution said Robinson, who had been caretaker of the network of tunnels since the 1990s, must have been aware of what was going on.

Robinson claimed he rented the tunnel to two men, known only as Thomas and Fabian, for £200 a month for storage and never suspected that drugs were being produced there.

He said his tenants, from the Black Country, had threatened to "bury him" in a dispute about keys to the complex after he gave them notice to quit because of rubbish they left lying around.