Northamptonshire Police have received £305,643 from funds which were seized from criminals in the county during 2006 and 2007.

The total is £100,000 more than the force was expecting to receive from the Government, which means it will be able to fund additional crime-busting schemes.

Speaking at a meeting of Northamptonshire Police Authority's resources committee yesterday, Chief Constable Peter Maddison said: "This is a tremendous example of the good work which is being done. I don't want any criminal to think they can flaunt their ill-gotten gains in this county.

"We have had specific successes this year which have made that very clear."

Among the force's successes this year was the case of two traveller families who led a champagne lifestyle on the proceeds of car crime and tax evasion and were ordered by a judge to pay back nearly £2.8m.

Members of the Biddle and Stretton families drove sports cars and shopped for designer jewellery, handbags and clothes at stores such as Harrods and Selfridges.

They were convicted of money-laundering and a series of charges relating to their car crimes. The Crown Prosecution Service used the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to confiscate as much of their ill-gotten gains as possible.

The force and prosecutors are also trying to confiscate £750,000 from convicted drug dealer Shaun Davis, of Rushden, who was sent to prison for 11 years at Northampton Crown Court in July.

Last year Northamptonshire Police was named as one of the best performing forces in the country in recovering cash and other assets from criminals.

In the previous year it had obtained orders to the value of £706,929.19 from criminals through cash forfeiture and confiscation obtained through the courts.

Northamptonshire Police was ranked 12th out of the 43 forces in England and Wales and top of its family of most similar forces.

The force will use £20,000 of its cash boost to fund operations targeting drugs and crime in the north of the county and £50,000 will be put into policing in the west.

It will also invest money into providing a number of financial investigators, a chemical laboratory technician, a forensic research officer and asset recovery agency training.