A FAMILY of insurance fraudsters from East Lancashire have been ordered to repay £278,000 or face time behind bars.

Investigators have now secured a £51,800 confiscation order against Nadeem Dad, 30, of Barkerhouse Road, Nelson, over a scam which saw false claims made for storm damage, car crashes and even lost pedigree bulldogs.

If he does not come up with the cash within six months then he will be jailed for 18 months.

He has already served 15 months in prison after being convicted of fraud and money laundering in August 2010.

His brother Amer Dad, 27, has previously been ordered to repay £66,666 in lieu of a similar penalty.

And their father Munsif Dad, 62, also of Barkerhouse Road, was told to repay £161,300 at Preston Crown Court in August. The Dads were arrested as the result of an inquiry by Lancashire Police and the Insurance Fraud Bureau.

Fraudsters not only made claims to insurance companies but created false logs of incidents with police.

Det Insp Dave Groombridge, of Pennine CID, said: “Fraudulent claims hit the pockets of the decent law-abiding public with every resident, motorist and trader facing increased premiums to compensate for the greed of these criminals.

“Nadeem Dad not only received a custodial prison sentence, but he has also had to face the consequences of his actions by repaying a significant amount of his ill-gotten gains.

“I hope this sends out a warning that if we find you with cash that you cannot account for, you will be targeted.”