It was the multimillion-pound jewellery heist described as Britain’s largest burglary in legal history and now the mastermind, a pensioner from Dartford, stands to lose his own fortune.

Brian Reader, the “guv’nor” of the Hatton Garden raid who travelled to the scene of his audacious crime by bus, is likely to be stripped of his assets, including his luxurious home in Dartford Road.

The secluded detached property, hidden from the busy street by large trees and bushes, is said to be worth £1 million and could now be seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

Reader, 76, who was also involved in the Brink’s-Mat gold bullion armed robbery in 1983, headed a gang of men responsible for stealing a haul worth at least £14 million of jewels, gold and cash from London’s famous jewellery quarter and the centre of the UK diamond trade.

It took them three years to plan the raid and the ringleaders watched YouTube videos of how to use powerful concrete piercing drills.

Posing as gas repairmen, the gang, one of whom has not been traced, gained access to the building before boring a hole through a thick concrete wall and breaking into a vault over the Easter weekend last year.

Their crime was almost scuppered when they triggered a burglar alarm. This alerted the Metropolitan Police but it was given a grade which meant it required no response, so the raiders carried on regardless.

Only around a third of the haul has been recovered after the gang ransacked 73 safety deposit boxes.

When Reader’s Dartford home was raided in May, police found diamond magazines, a book on the gem underworld, a diamond tester and a diamond gauge.

The one-time associate of notorious murderer Kenneth Noye was involved in the planning of the raid and present at meetings the gang held both before and after, some of which took place in a pub just a short distance from the diamond capital and were captured on hidden police cameras.

Reader pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle with intent to steal ahead of a two-month trial at Woolwich Crown Court of several of his accomplices.

He now faces a maximum 10-year spell behind bars although he is entitled to a reduction on account of his guilty plea.

Additional time could be added, however, if the gang does not reveal the whereabouts of the missing loot.

Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, confiscation proceedings will take place in which legal teams for both the prosecution and defence will agree Reader’s own financial benefit from the heist, the value of his realisable assets and how much he has to forfeit.

"I was just stunned. To have a major story on your doorstep is crazy" - Kevin Watson, Reader's neighbour

If his assets are deemed to be less than his gain, a nominal sum, sometimes as low as £1, could be set.

If the money is not paid within a set time, Reader would also have to serve extra time in default.

Reader’s son Paul, 50, who also lives in Dartford Road, was arrested but a charge of conspiracy to commit burglary was dropped.

The pair were arrested in one of 12 co-ordinated police raids across London and Kent. One neighbour, Kevin Watson, witnessed the drama unfold as about 20 police officers converged on the house.

Describing the Readers as men who “kept themselves to themselves”, Mr Watson added: “I was just stunned.

“To have a major story on your doorstep is crazy.”

Father and son ran a second-hand car business, Pentire Cars and Commercials, from the Dartford Road property.

At the rear of the main house are two other detached properties which were being built when they were arrested.

The company website states: “We offer quality used cars at very affordable prices.

"If you are after fantastic savings on your first car or looking to upgrade, you can be sure that you will find competitive prices and the best service from Pentire Cars in Dartford.”

Brian Reader was jailed for eight years for conspiracy to handle stolen goods from the £26 million Brink’s-Mat raid on a warehouse at Heathrow Airport.

Also involved was Kenneth Noye, currently serving life for the road-rage murder of 21-year-old Stephen Cameron at the Swanley interchange of the M25 in 1996.

Both Noye, 68, and Reader were cleared of the murder of PC John Fordham in 1985.

The officer was part of the investigation into the Brink’s-Mat robbery and was unarmed in the grounds of Noye’s then home in West Kingsdown, when he was repeatedly stabbed.

The jury found Noye acted in self-defence.