THE Assistant Chief Constable of Dyfed Powys Police picked up nearly £55,000 in expenses - for moving house.

Carl Langley claimed £54,945 when he joined the force from Lincolnshire Police in March 2012.

It has been reported the deal was part of an overall package worth £190,614 to Mr Langley. His salary is £104,455, which included a £14,000 pay rise.

The figures were revealed as part of an investigation by campaign group the Taxpayers’ Alliance and the Daily Mail.

Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: "The men and women working in these services do tough, dangerous jobs for which the public are grateful, but that only makes it even more infuriating when those at the top continue to get taxpayer-funded deals and pay-offs that are completely out of step with reality.

"Necessary savings are being made and this reality must be reflected in the pay packages for the top brass."

Mr Langley’s expenses claim covered redecorating his new home in Wales, fitting a television aerial, carpet cleaning and fitting a fridge freezer.

It was also reported a number of Dyfed Powys Police employees were given bonuses for staying in their jobs, some of £8,000, and some received medical insurance from the taxpayer.

Christopher Salmon, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed Powys, has said the payments were in line with policies approved by the now defunct Dyfed Powys Police Authority. Mr Salmon said he has since changed the polices and also scrapped the bonus and private health insurance schemes.

Six senior officers received bonuses of 7.5 per cent of their salaries as reward for staying in their jobs - but the legality of the scheme has been questioned.

Former Chief Constable Ian Arundale, Temporary Chief Constable Jackie Roberts and head of finance Andrew Bevan were among those named as receiving the bonuses.

Since 2009, a total of £152,080.48 was awarded in retention payments while money was also paid to some officers for private health insurance, which is also believed to be unlawful.

It is unlikely the money will be recovered as there is ’no real prospect of a cost effective retrieval’.

In 2012 Dyfed Powys said it had a gap of £47million in its funding and some small police stations and police staff were all sacrificed to balance the budget.

Some of the controversial payment schemes remained in place even after the Police and Crime Commissioner replaced the police authority.

The man responsible for the ’unlawful’ payments finance director Andrew Bevan was paid a large benefits package just last year.

Mr Bevan completed only three-and-a-half months’ work but picked up £202,005 for the 2013/14 financial year.