Ex-NHS employees held in payments probe

Two former NHS employees have been arrested by detectives investigating allegations of inappropriate payments to police and public officials, Scotland Yard said.

The 46-year-old-man and 42-year-old woman were arrested this morning in Bridgwater, Somerset, as part of the Operation Elveden inquiry and are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office and on suspicion of corruption.

It is understood the two people were arrested at the same home address in Bridgwater.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said both are being questioned at a police station in Somerset.

They are the 38th and 39th arrests made as part of Operation Elveden which is being supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and is being run in conjunction with Operation Weeting, Scotland Yard's inquiry into the phone-hacking of voicemail boxes.

PA