Victims of a bogus holiday con on the auction site eBay are to get their money back, a court has heard.

A judge made a confiscation order at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday against the woman who committed the fraud, Julie Flood, in the sum of £38,978.

Flood, of Sussex Road, Park Wood, Maidstone, sold 27 people luxury holidays that never materialised. Last August, she admitted 27 theft charges between November 2004 and March 2005.

Flood, 45, advertised holidays, including a trip to New York with helicopter flights and a Broadway show, claiming it had been for her but she was not able to go.

The sentencing judge described it as "a swindle on a substantial scale".

Philip St John-Stevens, prosecuting, said Flood - now free after serving a 16-month jail sentence - had assets from a jointly owned family home of over £46,000.

"It would be appropriate that compensation be paid from the confiscated funds in relation to the losers and any judgements outstanding," he said.

Judge Philip Statman said: "Those who lost their money and were looking forward to those wonderful holidays will have monies paid back to them.

"That is very good news and a very helpful way forward. Everyone will be delighted to receive money back."

Judge Statman gave Flood 18 months to pay the confiscation sum and said there would be 18 months imprisonment in default.

"I am very pleased indeed that those who clearly suffered not only financial loss but the trauma of being deprived of their holidays are going to be compensated," he said.

"That is uppermost in the mind of this court."