The amount of criminal cash and assets seized by police fell sharply in Wiltshire last year, new figures show.

Anti-corruption organisation Global Witness warned the £200m recovered nationally is 'a drop in the ocean' compared with the huge volumes of illegal money flowing through the UK each year.

Home Office data shows Wiltshire Police collected proceeds of crime worth £1.2m in the year to March.

Of this, £1.2m (98 per cent) was obtained through confiscation orders, which are made during sentencing following a criminal conviction.

The rest came from powers to seize and confiscate cash via civil proceedings.

The haul was far lower than the value seized in 2018-19, when officers recovered £4.9m.

Around £208m was collected by police forces, councils and government agencies across England, Wales and Northern Ireland using powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act in 2019-20 – a 4% decrease from the year before, but up 8 per cent compared to five years ago.