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A couple have been traumatised by gangsters knocking on their door demanding drugs because a plant in their garden smelled like cannabis.

The terrified couple from Winford, near Bristol Airport, called police after masked men forced their way into the house and demanded they hand over 'the stash'.

The thugs made off with cash and personal items but no drugs, as the baffled couple didn't have any. Police were equally perplexed by the strong smell of weed when they arrived at their home and were unable to find the source.

Eventually an officer contacted plant expert Alan Down who runs a nursery in the village of Cleeve, west of the airport.

“I was visited by two officers yesterday and asked to identify a plant which smelled like cannabis,” Alan said.

“A couple had this plant growing in their garden and they had been visited by criminals asking for the cannabis they could smell.

“Apparently this is quite common – word gets out that someone is growing cannabis and a gang go and take it from them. Obviously they can’t call the police.”

But in this instance the couple were not growing cannabis and they did call police when gangsters came knocking.

(Image: Avon and Somerset police)

Everyone agreed the garden smelled of weed but neither the green-fingered pair nor the police could identify the source of the smell.

“The police officer who came to see me said he specialised in drugs, he knew of several plants that smelled like cannabis but he couldn’t see them in the garden.”

The officer followed Alan’s advice, and his nose, and returned to the plant expert the following day with samples of the funkiest culprits form the couple's garden.

Alan identified the sample as Phuopsis stylosa also called Caucasian Crosswort – an uncommon garden plant which comes from Iran from the Bedstraw family.

Alan, who has been a nurseryman his whole life and writes a gardening column for the Western Daily Press, said: “It’s nice to help in the battle against crime in our own small way.

“It’s not the kind of request we get every day. The police officer said he wanted to publicise it to take the pressure off the couple so they can go back to their normal lives and normal gardening activity – I imagine they will pull out the plant now.”

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said: “We’re investigating an aggravated burglary at a property in Brookside, Winford, which happened in the early hours of Friday, 15 August.

“Masked men went into the property and threatened the occupants, before making off with cash and other personal items.

“Officers with the local neighbourhood team have been providing support to the victims and recently identified a plant growing in the victims’ garden commonly called Caucasion Crosswort, which gives off a smell resembling cannabis.

“We believe this smell may have led to a case of mistaken identity, with the offenders believing cannabis was being grown at the property.

“We’ve advised the victims to remove the plants and would appeal to anyone with information about this incident to come forward.

“If you can help, please call 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5217186328.”