A FOREST Hill cocaine manufacturer who prepared his wares in the kitchen and stashed them in a communal hallway cupboard has been jailed for six years.

When police swooped on Paul Shirley's Ewelme Road flat last January, they found a blender coated with white powder, a cocaine press and bags of cutting agent in the kitchen.

The 51-year-old had hidden two keys inside the rubber seal of his washing machine, one of which opened a utility cupboard directly outside his front door, in the block's communal area.

And police discovered the second key opened a small voltage box inside the cupboard, containing cocaine worth around £7,500.

Shirley was jailed at Woolwich Crown Court on February 3 for six years after being found guilty of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Chris Lewis said: "The sentence Paul Shirley received reflects the severity with which the courts view organised criminality, especially drug supply which has such a negative and long lasting effect on society as a whole."