IT can, of course, never be true justice for convicted criminals to serve their prison sentences and then be free to carry on a life of luxury on their ill-gotten gains.

Such cases mock the law and the society that the crooks prey upon.

How heartening, then, is the disclosure today that not only are offenders in East Lancashire being stripped of cash and property which they have acquired through crime, but also that this is happening on a significant scale.

For following a recent change in the law that police seize the proceeds of crime, Lancashire Constabulary has become one of the best forces in the land at recovering the criminals' loot.

Last year, it recouped £353,416 - the fourth highest total in the country.

Now, it aims to do even better by setting up a new financial investigation unit to track down and confiscate illegally-gained money. In East Lancashire, two officers will be dedicated to the task.

And apart from justice being much better served, one of the greatest benefits of this drive is that the money recovered is ploughed back into funding the fight against crime. Also, greater results are promised by the action being stepped up to target the assets of street-level drug dealers rather than just the comparatively-small number of high-profile crime bosses.

In short, the net is being cast wider and deeper to ensure that crime does not pay. Every decent law-abiding citizen will welcome that.