A CRAFTY drug dealer who hid a shoebox of cannabis on his roof when police knocked at his door was caught out when it fell past the window - right in front of the officers.

On going outside they found the offending item, which contained £5,000 worth of female flowering heads of cannabis lying in the driveway.

Officers also discovered £700 worth of the drug hidden in 28 bags in a box of porridge oats, scales with traces of the drugs and £670 cash.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that when interviewed Michael Morton admitted selling the cannabis found in the cereal box in the kitchen for others and said he had been asked to mind the shoe box.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, said that police raided Morton's home in Fell Street, Seacombe on December 29, 2016 armed with a drugs search warrant.

They forced their way in and found Morton coming down from an unfurnished room upstairs.

He had been hiding the shoe box on the roof and when the officers took him downstairs it fell off and they saw it going past the window and landing in the driveway.

Morton, 21, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Sentencing him Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, said that Morton had been "a thug" until about five years ago but had kept out of trouble until this latest offence.

"You may have been asked to do what you were doing by others higher up the chain but you had the ability to say 'no' and had you wanted to do so I'm sure you would have done so.

"You must get your act together and begin to realise that you cannot behave in the way in which you were without jeopardising your liberty."

The judge imposed a 36-week jail term suspended for two years and imposed a curfew with an electronic tag for four months between 7-7pm.

"You will have a miserable summer because in the evenings when you want to go out drinking or socialising with your mates you will be staring at your own four walls but you might have been staring at four less hospitable walls."

Judge Goldstone also ordered him to carry out up to 25 days rehabilitation activities and 180 hours unpaid work.

He told jobless Morton the unpaid work requirement was "a way of repaying your debt to society and helping you gain some self-esteem and learn a work ethos.

"You have to get off your backside and try to make use of your life."

John Ballam, defending, confirmed that the judge had been accurate in commenting: "He's never done a decent day's work in his life."

Additionally the judge said Morton has issues with cannabis and ordered him to attend a drugs rehabilitation programme for six months.

Mr Ballam said that Morton has never served a custodial sentence and has no drugs convictions.

"It looks as if he was under some coercion for looking after the drugs and he had been terrified when the police arrived hence his actions at that point.

"He co-operated with police and has kept out of trouble since."