A BMW car seized from a drug dealer is to go on display across Swale, to spread the message that crime doesn’t pay.

Until Thursday the vehicle will be parked outside the Sheppey Cluster of three prisons in Eastchurch, on visiting days.

It will also be taken to supermarket car parks on the island, as well as to busy venues in Sittingbourne and Faversham.

The vehicle was taken from Thomas Fellowes, of Maidstone, who is serving a four and a half year sentence for dealing Class A drugs.

His car, a BMW X5, was seized by police under the Misuse of Drugs Act, as it was used in the commission of his crimes.

Kent Police also obtained a confiscation order to recover other assets obtained by criminal activity, including another car, worth around £6,500, a Rolex watch worth around £5,000, jewellery and cash from his bank account.

The car is to go on show to let people know that police have the power to seize cash and assets from criminals accrued through illegal activity.

Kent Police have had ownership of the car since Fellowes’ conviction. It will be used by the tactical operations department for specialist policing.

Detective Inspector Mark Fairhurst, of Kent Police’s Serious Economic Crime Unit, said: “The idea of putting the car on display is to get the message across that crime does not pay.

“Criminals need to know that we will come after them and we will take their assets and use them in our fight against crime.”