A paedophile who hoarded so much obscene material in his home it took a seven-tonne lorry to remove it all has been jailed.

Joseph Faul, 48, of Beaulieu Place, Chiswick, west London, was arrested after what was thought to be one of Britain's biggest ever seizures of obscene pornographic material, said the UK Border Agency.

His crimes were first uncovered after UKBA staff working at Coventry International Parcel Hub intercepted a number of film spools showing indecent images of children and images of bestiality.

Officers from the agency's criminal and financial investigation team searched Faul's two-bedroom flat on August 27 2010 and discovered tens of thousands of items of pornography, as well as computers and other equipment used to make and copy DVDs.

His flat contained so much material that it took a seven-and-a-half-tonne lorry to remove it all for examination.

Faul admitted 19 different charges in December, including the making and possession of indecent images of children, and the possession of extreme pornography. A further two charges relating to the importation of obscene material were left on file.

A judge at Isleworth Crown Court jailed him for 12 months and placed him on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Deputy director Jim Jarvie, from the UKBA's criminal and financial investigation team, said: "This is without doubt the biggest seizure of its kind that we have been involved in.

"Faul was in possession of almost every type of extreme pornography. When our officers raided his flat they found obscene material hidden in every single room. It took a seven-and-a-half-tonne lorry to take it all away.

"As this case shows, our officers work around the clock at ports and airports - and behind the scenes at postal sorting offices - to keep indecent material and other illegal items likes drugs, counterfeit goods and firearms out of the UK."