A former company director and his ex-wife who were jailed for tax fraud have been ordered to pay back almost £155,000.

Donna and Michael Howard were jailed in March for six years and nine months for using PAYE and VAT scams to fund a lavish lifestyle.

This included luxurious trips abroad and a £400,000 house in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.

Mrs Howard stole £283,713 of income tax and national insurance contributions from the unsuspecting employees of her ex-husband.

At the time he was the director of Motherwell-based MDH Fire and Security Services Limited.

HMRC investigators discovered PAYE deductions for 29 employees had not been paid and Mrs Howard gave the fraud a veneer of legitimacy by creating false paperwork.

The investigation also revealed the pair had charged customers more than £530,000 in VAT using fictitious and de-registered VAT numbers, but kept the money.

HMRC confirmed the Howards have now been ordered to pay two confiscation orders worth £154,900.

During a hearing at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Thursday, Mrs Howard, 44, of Sutherland, was ordered to pay £127,000 within six months.

Mr Howard, 45, of Motherwell, was last month ordered to pay back £27,900 within six months.

HMRC can apply for further confiscation and pursue the outstanding benefit of the fraud in the future.

Cheryl Burr, assistant director of HMRC's fraud investigation service, said: "Even following a conviction our work doesn't stop.

"We will always seek to recover the profits criminals have made from their crimes, securing these funds for the public purse."

Anyone with information about tax fraud is asked to contact the fraud hotline on 0800 788 887.