A Chippenham man is at the centre of a major High Court battle in which police forces are being sued for damages after allegedly misleading recruits about the level of housing allowances and rates of pay.

Mark Finister, of Hamilton Drive, Cepen Park South, Chippenham, is among the latest to sue.

He has issued a writ against the Chief Constable of Wiltshire and Wiltshire Police Authority seeking damages of up to £50,000.

The writ alleges that "negligent mis-statements'' were made when he applied to join the force.

It says he was told he would receive housing allowance, but that when he joined, he did not get the money he had been expecting.

Other officers who are suing other forces also accuse the police of misleading them about pay as well as housing allowances and claim they left better paid jobs to join the police force as a result.

No date has yet been fixed for hearing of the cases.