An 85-year-old man who sold his home to HS2 has described his distress after discovering the property was being used as a cannabis factory. Alan Wilkinson sold his four-bedroom house in Whitmore Heath, Staffordshire, to the high-speed rail project in 2019 for £1.2 million under a special circumstances scheme. His wife Gillian had died of pancreatic cancer two weeks before the scheduled move.
Wilkinson was shocked when a neighbour spotted two Jehovah's Witnesses leaving the property, who reported smelling cannabis. Police later raided the house and found 184 cannabis plants growing in five rooms. Darren Pinnington, 32, of Liverpool, pleaded guilty to production of a class B drug in July.
The property, which had been reroofed and had its swimming pool removed, was rented out by HS2 to recoup costs. After the cannabis farm was shut down, HS2 deemed it too expensive to return to a lettable state, leaving it empty. HS2 spent £1.9 million on security for empty properties in 2023/24.
Wilkinson, former chair of Whitmore Parish Council, said HS2 destroyed the village community. The planned twin tunnels beneath the village were scrapped in 2023, but homes purchased remain under Department for Transport ownership. HS2 spent £3.79 billion on property purchases overall, including £633 million on now-axed sections.
An HS2 spokesperson condemned the illegal use of the property and said it was let on the open market by property agents. They added that no homeowner was compelled to sell, and Wilkinson accepted their offer under the Special Circumstances Scheme, which covered moving costs, stamp duty, and legal fees.
