Dutch police who found 350,000 euros (£309,887) hidden inside a washing machine have detained a man on suspicion of money laundering.

Police said in a statement that officers were checking a house in western Amsterdam on Monday for unregistered residents when they found the valuable laundry load.

A photo displayed on the police website showed bundles of bank notes, mainly 20- and 50-euro bills, crammed into the drum.

In this image released by the Amsterdam Police the hoards of confiscated money is seen

The officers also found a money-counting machine, a gun and several cell phones.

The 24-year-old suspect's name was not released, in line with Dutch privacy rules.

'The municipal administration revealed that no one lived at the address,' the police told CNN in a statement.

'When the police did a search through the house they found €350,000 hidden in the washing machine.'

The swoop on the address is a move designed to tackle 'ghost citizens' - those who live in the city but are not registered anywhere.

Addresses are selected based on, for example, vacancy, signs of housing fraud, striking habitation or signs of crime.