POLICE in Bolton are celebrating a record-breaking year after seizing nearly £1 million from the town's criminals.

More than £935,000 in cash and assets was taken after several targeted operations into organised crime last year.

The figures was a 38 per cent rise on the £680,000 seized in 2013, and more than four times the amount taken in 2012.

The £1 million haul takes the total seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) to more than £3 million in the last six years.

Last year, £50,000 of criminal cash was opened up to bids from community groups — with some helping to fund a new foodbank in Farnworth and Kearsley.

Ch Supt Shaun Donnellan, commander for Bolton, has pledged to do the same again, with some of the money seized to filter back to his division.

Greater Manchester Police get half of the cash they seize and one sixth of property — with the rest going to the government.

Ch Supt Donnellan said: "I pay tribute to the hard work of Bolton police officers and my dedicated financial investigator, who have managed to part the criminals from this ill-gained cash.

“Part of this huge amount of money will be returned to me and I fully intend to utilise this money to support local charities and volunteers in Bolton.

“The criminal fraternity should take note — we will not only send you to prison for your crimes, but will also remove every penny you have unlawfully obtained and give it back to the communities you stole from.”

High profile cases in Bolton in 2014/15 included that of Robert Sandford, who was forced to repay £286,000 after a hearing on February 13 this year.

Officers raided his house in February 2012 and found £454,000 in cash and designer watches worth more than £200,000.

He was jailed in November, 2013 for 18 months after pleading guilty to money laundering.

Financial investigator Tony Wood found Sandford, of Bolton Road, Hunger Hill, held several UK and Turkish bank accounts, and owned homes in Bolton and Turkey.

Drug dealer Adam Gee, aged 36, had to repay £72,588 following a hearing in March.

He was caught in Bradford Street in March 2013 with three large bags of cannabis in his van and later received a suspended sentence for possessing class B drugs with the intent to supply.

A POCA investigation found several bank accounts in Gee's name with large sums of cash going through them.

The court hearing found Gee, of Pocket Nock Road, Lostock, had made £90,000 from crime.

In December last year, shamed mechanic Mark Trepass was told to pay back about £25,000 in cash and assets.

He tried to flee police in a high-speed chase with his four-month-old daughter in the car.

Police raided his industrial unit in Great Lever and found £30,000 of stolen cars, offences for which he was later jailed for 27 months.

Trepass, aged 31, of Norfolk Road, Hindley, was found to have made £55,000 from his crimes.

The court ordered him to pay back all identified assets — frozen by police before the hearing — which amounted to £17,314 in cash, a vehicle and a static caravan in Blackpool.

The Bolton division recovered £571,016 in 2009/10, £310,433 in 2010/11, £350,143 in 2011/12 and £219,160 in 2012/13.

A criminal’s debt imposed by court never leaves them.

Even if criminals only have £20,000 in assets have made £50,000 from their crimes, the remaining £30,000 debt will remain outstanding.

If their circumstances change, they must return to court and will have more assets taken from them.