A drug dealer was found in a Basingstoke B&B room with almost £20,000 of super-strength cannabis and two doubled-barrelled pistols, a court has heard.

Kirk Matthews was arrested after police raided his room at Wessex House, on Winchester Road, on April 27.

He was found with more than 3.3 kilograms of cannabis, including £18,000 of 'skunk' cannabis, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

This super-strength drug is linked to a higher risk of psychotic mental health episodes.

They also searched a garage belonging to the Basingstoke man on Culver Road where they found just over £22,000 of cash, as well as a Rolex watch valued at £11,000.

Appearing at Winchester Crown Court earlier this month, the 31-year-old was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to four charges.

Matthews was given five years and four months in custody for the two counts of possessing a firearm, to be served concurrently, and 12 months for possessing criminal property, also to be served concurrently.

He was given a further three-year sentence, to be served consecutively, for possession with intent to supply cannabis.

There was also a three week concurrent prison sentence for breaching a suspended sentence order, and the drugs, paraphernalia, guns and phones seized on his arrest will be forfeited and destroyed.

He must also pay a victim surcharge of £190.

Matthews was taken into custody after a police raid on Wessex House guest house, on Winchester Road in Kings Furlong, late on April 27.

Officers stormed his room at around 10pm, where they also took into custody an 18-year-old woman. She was later released with no further action.

At around 10.35pm, Matthews' garage at an address on Culver Road was searched, where officers found £22,056 in cash.

What is skunk cannabis?

There are three main types of street cannabis - hash, herbal cannabis and high-potency cannabis or skunk.

Herbal cannabis is made from the dried leaves of flowering, pollinated cannabis plants.

However, skunk is made from unpollinated plants which contains higher quantities of the psychoactive ingredient THC.

Researchers at Kings College London previously found that the risk of psychosis is three times higher for users of potent "skunk-like" cannabis than for non-users.