An elderly man who was forced to sell his home for the HS2 rail project has been left feeling "awful" after learning the property became a site for illegal drug production.
Alan Wilkinson, aged 85, discovered the four-bedroom house he once owned in Whitmore Heath had been converted into a cannabis farm after it was let out following the railway purchase.
The pensioner, who received £1.2 million for the property through a special circumstances arrangement, described feeling "awful" about the fate of the home.
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Mr Wilkinson bought the Whitmore Heath property during the 1970s alongside his wife Gillian, and throughout their time living there, they added a swimming pool and upgraded the kitchen.
Their ownership spanned approximately 30 years before HS2's announcement of plans for the northern section, which would have featured twin tunnels beneath the rural village.
The couple agreed to sell under the special circumstances programme, however, just weeks before the couple planned to move in 2019, Mrs Wilkinson died from pancreatic cancer.
The Birmingham to Manchester segment of HS2 was subsequently abandoned, leaving numerous purchased properties vacant, including the Wilkinson residence which was placed on the rental market.
PICTURED: A house in Whitmore Heath where 70 per cent of homes have been purchased for the HS2 project
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The property's illegal use was then discovered when two Jehovah's Witnesses tried to knock on the door.
"My old neighbour saw [them] walking out of my old drive and he told them 'You won't find anyone in there'," Mr Wilkinson told the Express. "They replied, 'No, but there's cannabis'. Turns out there was 184 cannabis plants growing inside. They could smell it."
Police in Staffordshire subsequently conducted a raid on the premises, uncovering cannabis being grown in five rooms within the house.
The operation led to criminal proceedings, with a Merseyside resident pleading guilty to producing the controlled substance in July.
Twin tunnels were going to be built beneath the rural village
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The Wilkinson property is just one of the numerous homes acquired for HS2's cancelled northern section, with security expenditure reaching £1.9 million during 2023-24 alone.
Mr Wilkinson said: "HS2 destroyed our village. It was a fine community where people who had made it had gone to live. But the plans for the line tore it apart.
"More than a dozen people died while waiting to sell their homes. I can't bear to go back. So many memories with my wife, all gone."
The abandoned Birmingham-Manchester route resulted in £633million spent on property acquisitions, whilst total HS2 property purchases reached £3.79billion.
HS2 property purchases reached £3.79 billion
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While the line between London and Staffordshire, with a branch to Birmingham, is still planned to go ahead, no opening date has been confirmed.
A spokesman for HS2 said the tunnel would have been put in up to 30 metres below the village, and no residents had been forced to sell their properties for the development.
They added: "We recognise Mr Wilkinson's difficult situation and he accepted our offer in 2019 to buy his home through HS2's Special Circumstances Scheme, under which we covered moving costs, paid stamp duty and legal fees.
"We utterly condemn the illegal use of property acquired by the project being used as a cannabis farm.
"It was let on the open rental market, and managed by property agents, to help recoup costs to the taxpayer.
"We have been unable to relet the property since the farm was closed down by police because the costs of returning it to a lettable state are too great.
"The area is patrolled by our private security teams, who work closely with Staffordshire Constabulary."