A forgotten stash was discovered when police took a safe to the station.

David Birch, of St Florence, pleaded guilty to cocaine and cannabis possession when he appeared at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday.

Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, told the court that Class A and Class B drugs were found when a search warrant was executed at his home on December 13.

Cannabis weighing 5.94g was discovered in a pizza box in Birch’s bedroom, along with 0.6g in a small pot. A locked safe was taken away by officers, and Birch, 57, later took the key to the station where white powder and 20g of herbal cannabis was found.

Analysis revealed that the powder was cocaine, but Birch, who had previous convictions for drug possession, stated he thought it was amphetamine, and would take it when he went out.

The drugs had an estimated total street value of £320.

Mike Kelleher, defending, told the bench that Birch had a medical condition which meant that hr ached badly at the end of the working day.

“He takes cannabis to assist with pain relief. He had quite a large amount in the safe, but if you buy a bigger quantity, you get it cheaper.”

He added that the white powder had been in Birch’s safe for a number of years and he had forgotten all about it until he opened the box at the police station.

Birch was fined £300 and ordered to pay £85 court costs plus a £30 surcharge.

A destruction order was made for the seized drugs.