OVER £7,000 cash seized after a car was stopped in Bradford has been forfeited to the courts.

The £7,400 sum was taken from a Volkswagen Bora in the city centre on November 14 2016 by police acting on a tip off that car was possibly linked to drug dealing.

Officers also recovered a black asp, a baton style weapon, and a small amount of cannabis from the car.

The driver, a 27-year-old man from Bradford, admitted possessing the asp and cannabis and was charged.

He claimed the cash was ‘backdated takings’ from his retail business and was in his car as he had forgotten to pay it into his bank. An investigation into where the cash had come from was filed last March due to evidential difficulties, but the Bradford District Proceeds Of Crime Act Team re-seized the cash and reviewed the evidence.

The team concluded that on the balance of probability the cash was ill-gotten gains and this week took the matter to Leeds Magistrates Court, where magistrates ordered its full forfeiture.

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner said: "This is great work from West Yorkshire Police and prosecutors in helping making to make sure that crime doesn't pay.

"Some of this recovered money will now go towards my Safer Communities Fund and Policing at a time of continuing government austerity. The Fund gives grants made up from recovered proceeds of crime money to not for profit groups and organisations for various projects throughout West Yorkshire that help to keep our communities safe.”