A VIETNAMESE couple arrested last month during a police raid on a Dorset cannabis "factory" have been jailed for 21 months by a judge at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Husband and wife Duc Nguyen and Ha Pham, both 46, admitted cultivating the drug at the property in Haviland Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth.

Angela England, prosecuting, told the court that police found that all but one room of the three-bedroomed semi detached house had been turned over to the commercial growing of cannabis. A total of 410 mature plants were seized.

Interviewed through an interpreter, Pham told the police that she had been approached to water some plants in England for £1,000. She had been at the house since January and two men had come to inspect the crop. Her husband said he had only arrived the previous day.

Robert Grey, counsel for Pham, said she deeply regretted her involvement and felt enormous shame at being locked up in prison.

Paul Hester, counsel for Nguyen, said the couple had lived in Bulgaria for 14 years and came to Britain as visitors with their son. Nguyen had taken the boy back to school in Bulgaria before returning to his wife.

Mr Hester said the cannabis factory was believed to be new. Mr Nguyen was concerned about his 14-year-old son in Bulgaria and a 25-year-old son, who had been left "high and dry" financially in his final year of university in China.

Passing sentence, Recorder Nick Rowland said: "This was a sophisticated set-up. I accept that you were gardeners of this enterprise, but this is a serious offence."

He ordered the drugs and paraphernalia to be destroyed but made no recommendation for the couple to be deported.