Police forked out more than £25,000 of North Yorkshire taxpayers' money to their "snouts" last year.

And another £25,000 was spent by police on meals for prisoners, £418,000 on forensic science services - and £194 on advances handed out to stranded people.

But the police raked in plenty of revenue as well: £74,700 alone for assisting TV programme and film-makers on locations such as Goathland, where the popular police series Heartbeat is filmed.

They received £77,000 for issuing shotgun certificates and another £70,000 for other firearms certificates.

And there was a further £18,000 in income for the issuing of certificates to "aliens" - foreign nationals staying in Britain who wish to register their presence, rather than Extra Terrestrial visitors.

The figures were uncovered by the Evening Press in a trawl through the annual accounts of the North Yorkshire police authority, which have been opened up for public inspection, as they are every year, prior to the annual audit.

The £25,571 paid to informants, bringing the total pay-out over three years to £66,478, was defended today by the police. "It's one of the most cost-effective ways of catching criminals," said a spokesman.

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