A woman previously convicted of helping to run a brothel hid thousands of pounds in her loft, a court has heard.

Margaret English was convicted in 2016 of helping to run a Maidstone brothel, despite claiming she was just a cleaner.

As the criminal case ended, Kent Police pursued a civil hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act to seize £22,340 found in the loft of her home in Mead Way, Bromley.

On Tuesday, at Maidstone Magistrates Court, district judge Paul Goldspring ordered English to repay the full amount, as well as costs of £4,560.

English, who could not appear due to poor health, claimed the cash was left over from the sale of a property in Poland.

John Blandford, defending, told the civil hearing English had taken more than £60,000 in sterling from Poland, after selling a house she bought in 2005.

The 66-year-old had claimed she brought the cash back in three trips, stating the haul was mostly made up of expired £20 and £50 notes.

She claimed to have driven to Poland on three occasions to pick up the cash.

However defence witness statements clashed with her statement, claiming English had in fact flown to Warsaw accompanied with friends and family.

Witnesses were unable to explain why, if the cash had come from Poland, it had been handed to English in sterling.

Once the cash was discovered, English claimed the notes were mostly expired £20 and £50 notes.

However analysis from Kent Police's financial investigation team found the majority of notes were in date.

She also claimed to distrust banks, hence why she had the hidden stash, however Mr Goldspring heard English has at least two active bank accounts.

No concrete evidence was presented of English owning or selling a property in Warsaw.

Police raided English's Bromley home after she was arrested at a brothel in College Road, Maidstone in October 2014.

Officers discovered a Spar carrier bag filled with the ill-gotten gains next to a loft hatch during their search.

At her trial in February 2016, English told magistrates she did not know prostitutes were working there and that her only contact with clients was answering the door or offering them a cup of tea while they waited.

Det Insp Annie Clayton, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: "While the conviction was some time ago, my officers have continued their investigation into the source of the seized cash following the conclusion of the criminal case.

"As a result, the cash was ordered to be forfeited under the Proceeds of Crime Act as there were reasonable grounds to suspect it had been derived from brothels.

"The Proceeds of Crime Act ensures that criminals do not benefit from their ill-gotten gains.

"We will continue to use legislation to pursue offenders and seize any cash or assets that we can prove they have obtained through criminal behaviour."