AN internal disciplinary hearing will next week decide the fate of a town hall employee suspended after his department was hit by the theft of more than £30,000, it was revealed today.

The man, a manager in the collection department at Blackburn Borough Council, has been suspended on full pay since May over the losses. He has been questioned by police but not charged with any offence.

It is understood he now faces a number of disciplinary charges relating to security arrangements in the department. He is already believed to be on a final written warning following a disciplinary hearing into one of the incidents.

In February this year it emerged that £30,000 had been taken from the safe on a day in January when staff had left early because of heavy snow falls.

We later revealed that keys to the town hall were regularly stored in a matchbox nearby.

It is understood council bosses later discovered a second amount believed to be around £6,000 was missing from the department.

A spokesman for Blackburn Council said he was unable to discuss internal personnel and security matters.

David Room, the solicitor who acted for Unison on behalf of the manager during the police inquiries, said: "There was nothing to link this man with the matter of the thefts.

"The evidence supplied to the police was quite contradictory and unreliable and after a lengthy investigation, during which he assisted throughout, no action was taken by the police against him."

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