Four Slovakians have been arrested accused of stealing around £275,000 in a major tax credit fraud.

The arrests follow raids by HM Revenue and Customs officers across Medway yesterday morning.

The two men and two women are alleged to be part of an organised crime gang, with a substantial sum of cash and documents seized from properties in Chatham and Rochester.

Martin Brown, assistant director of criminal investigation for HMRC, said:"One of our key priorities is to identify the infiltration by organised crime gangs abusing our tax systems to steal vast amounts of public money for their own gain.

"We will unravel cases of complex fraud and bring those responsible before the courts and recover the proceeds of their crime."

It's alleged the group completed fraudulent National Insurance applications and then made bogus tax credits claims.