The local government Ombudsman has confirmed that it will not be investigating complaints made against Malmesbury Town Council.

Town clerk Edward Ferguson and deputy clerk Sue Webb complained of discrimination, harassment and interrogation to the Standards Board of England.

A spokesman for the standards board said it had decided not to investigate because the claims were not significant enough to justify spending public money on.

Mayor Charles Vernon said it appeared to be the end of the matter.

"I couldn't quite understand what the complaint was in the first place. These matters have not been raised through the council's own procedures.

"I have not seen the documents sent to the standards board. The comments made by the standards board obviously felt there was nothing further to investigate."

Mr Ferguson, who has been town clerk for 18 years, has now been off work due to exhaustion for more than a month.

He is due to retire in June and it is unclear whether he will return to work.

Mrs Webb, who has been deputy clerk for 16 years, cited work related stress as the reason for her absence.

She is due to return to work next week.