A 20-year-old man who admitted buying cannabis to sell to friends to feed his habit has received a 28-day suspended prison sentence.

When police raided Jay Zakhama's home in Hazelwood Lane on Thursday, June 4, they found 18.6 grams of the class B drug in a shoe box along with £220 cash.

St Albans Crown Court heard on Tuesday a police crackdown on drugs in the area had reduced the supply and Zakhama was buying cannabis in London and supplying to his friends.

Zakhama is working full-time refurbishing a hotel in the Cotswolds and was of previous good character and has stopped taking drugs the court heard.

He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a class B drug.

Judge John Plumstead said: "He was buying a couple of ounces at a time, was splitting it up and passing it on to people he knew to subsidise his own drug use.

"He was receiving text messages from people who were looking to him to find them some drugs."

Judge Plumstead imposed a 28-day jail sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordered him to carry out 70 hours unpaid work.

He said: "The principal ill-effect of cannabis is that it causes people to waste their lives. It can lead them to be de-motivated."

The judge also ordered that the £220 seized by the police go towards the cost of the prosecution.