EQUIPMENT once used to grow cannabis will now help gardeners nurture their tomatoes and cucumbers.
Nottinghamshire Police's Cannabis Dismantling Team has donated more than £2,000 worth of plant pots, compost, water butts and watering cans to St Ann's Allotments.
Volunteers yesterday helped the team unload the equipment – seized during raids – recycling the gear in a typically eco-friendly scheme.
Around 80 of the 5kg compost bags, dozens of water butts and hundreds of plant pots and seed trays were piled up at the historic allotments' heritage centre.
"It's unusual," said allotment holder Dave McVea, 57. "But it's an example of something good coming from something bad which the police have put an end to.
"The compost looks like decent stuff and I could use it on my tomatoes, cucumbers and the melons in the greenhouse."
Mr McVea, who lives in St Ann's, said most allotment holders would agree with the principle of recycling, no matter where the equipment came from.
"It's better than it being thrown away," he said. "There's plenty of stuff I could definitely make use of."
Michael Peacock, project manager of the allotments, which opened its visitor centre two years ago, said the spoils would be shared between community projects and gardeners.
"Allotment holders are all about making, mending and recycling," said the 38-year-old from Sherwood. "Why would they spend money on something when you could reuse something instead?"
St Ann's Allotments are home to 670 plots with more than 550 gardeners at the 75-acre grade II-listed site, which has more than 2,000 fruit trees.
"I don't think there will be any reluctance to use the equipment," said Mr Peacock. "Compost is compost whether it's for tomatoes or cannabis.
"We're pleased to have the donation and hopefully as many people as possible can benefit from it."
The force's dismantling team also sell off reflectors and smell filters as scrap through local metal dealers, with some of the profits pumped back into the police.
PC Stuart Clarke said: "We see the problems that drugs create in our communities every day, so why not give something back when we can?"
The team usually visits at least one 'grow' a day and is hoping to keep adding to community projects .
YOU would be forgiven for thinking growing grass with infra-red and LED bulbs is nothing new.
But students from the University of Nottingham gave it a new twist when they pitched in with local heating company Ailsen Ltd to re-use seized bulbs from cannabis growers to keep Notts County's grass green at Meadow Lane.
Rigs used at football stadia to shine light on shaded areas of the pitch, obstructed by the stands, usually cost around £80,000. But the student volunteers helped keep County's bill to less than £5,000.
Each light can cost up to £60 and after being used as evidence by Notts Police, would otherwise have been thrown away.
The wheels and batteries were also donated by a local golf club.
The idea was the brainchild of stadium manager Greg Smith, who read in the Post about what equipment was seized at police raids.
