TWO Bury Conservative councillors have been arrested by police investigating an allegation of vote-rigging during May's local elections.

Councillors Bob Bibby and James Taylor were detained by detectives at Manchester Airport on Monday (July 10).

Minutes earlier, both had disembarked from a flight from the USA. They were among a party of more than 300 Bury representatives who had attended a week-long Millennium celebration in Woodbury.

The councillors were later quizzed at Bury police station before being given bail until August 29.

Last week, police arrested five others in connection with their inquiries. These are believed to be four campaign workers and a care home worker. The inquiry is into allegations of vote-rigging at old folk's homes. Town Hall bosses alerted police in May following a complaint from a woman whose mother lives in a residential home.

She was said to have been "assisted" with filling in her postal vote.

Later, police obtained a court order to break open the ballot boxes to examine postal votes cast in Bury's Moorside ward, particularly those made from residential homes.

In the May 4 poll, Mr Taylor snatched the Moorside seat from Labour, defeating their candidate by 444 votes.

The Town Hall had sent out 214 postal voting forms to Moorside residents for the election.

A spokesman for Bury police said: "On Monday, two local councillors were arrested and interviewed in connection with an ongoing inquiry into allegations surrounding misconduct in a Bury Council ward election in May.

"They and five other people have been bailed and a report will be forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service."