Bury Council bribery probe arrests dismissed

No further action will be taken against five men arrested during an investigation into bribery at Bury Council, police have said.

Former leader Bob Bibby, councillor Jim Taylor and three other men were arrested in January.

The police probe centred on allegations of a planning application bribe.

Det Supt Vincent Petrykowski said the Crown Prosecution Service had decided not to proceed "following the most thorough review of all the evidence".

Mr Bibby said he had been "put down as a corrupt politician" and that people had thought there was "no smoke without flames".

"However much I tried to prove that I was completely innocent, nobody really wanted to know," he said.

Conservative Mr Bibby represents the Church ward and was first elected to the council in 1999. Mr Taylor, also a Conservative, represents the North Manor ward.