A Swanley drug dealer serving an eight-and-a-half-year jail term has been ordered to pay back almost £250,000 after an investigation by Kent Police.

Gary Neal, 54, was sentenced in March after pleading guilty to charges of possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply and five firearm offences.

Financial investigators examined his lifestyle and businesses and were able to remove nearly £250,000 from criminal circulation, after the original investigation was in relation to supplying just £1,000 of illegal drugs.

The figure includes £84,000 Neal had on him when arrested and the balances of five bank accounts.

Kent Police obtained a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows them to recover cash and assets obtained by criminal activity.

Det Insp Mark Fairhurst of Kent Police's Serious Economic Crime Unit said: "This outcome clearly shows that crime does not pay."

Neal has three months to pay back the money or 18 months will be added to his sentence.