The homes in Hamilton were seized from the Civil Recovery Unit (CRU) after John Thomson admitted that he had acquired it as a result of unlawful conduct, specifically involvement in drugs offences in the area.

Almost £100,000 was also seized and will be provided for use in CashBack for Communities programme.

In November 2012, the CRU initiated a civil recovery investigation into Thomson. He eventually admitted that two properties in Hamilton, one on Kelvin Gardens and one on Burnbank Gardens, had been purchased through unlawful means.

In April 2015 the Court of Session granted a recovery order which allowed the Civil Recovery Unit to sell the properties and recover £25,000 from a bank account held by Thomson.

The two properties were then sold on to South Lanarkshire Council, who will use them as part of the social housing pot. The money raised from the sale, along with the cash, means that a total of £97,500 will be provided to Scottish Ministers for use in Cashback for Communities projects.

Linda Hamilton, head of the Civil Recovery Unit, said: “This case is an excellent example of the public sector working together for the good of Scottish communities.

“These properties, unlawfully bought by one individual, will now be used by the council to meet the needs of the local community, and the funds raised from their sale will be reinvested through the CashBack for Communities programme.”

CashBack for Communities is a unique Scottish Government initiative which takes money seized from criminals and reinvests it into wide range of sporting, cultural, educational and mentoring activities for children and young people throughout Scotland.

@SouthLanCouncil