More than £70,000 cash found stuffed in a bag inside a suspicious car in Dartford will be split between police and the government.

Officers found £73,920 in a red Audi parked in Swaisland Road after noticing two men were acting suspiciously inside the vehicle.

After they fled on foot, officers searched the car and discovered the money, in £5,000 cash bundles, in a canvas-type holdall in the footwell of the passenger seat.

Despite an investigation to track down the men, no-one stepped forward to claim the money, leaving police to apply for a forfeiture order under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The owner of the Audi, who lived in Lewisham, said he had lent his car to a friend and had been trying to get hold of him to get it back.

The cash was discovered on Sunday, December 28.

Today, it was confirmed the money will be split evenly between the Kent force and the government.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Barton, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "We will continue to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to claim money back from criminal enterprises.

"In this particular incident, officers have noticed suspicious behaviour, a suspicious vehicle with a significant quantity of cash inside.

"No one came forward to claim the money back, despite extensive police enquiries."

Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, money believed to be the proceeds of crime or intended for use in crime, is shared equally between police and the government.