A POLICE officer accused of ramming his patrol car into another motorist's vehicle has quit the force shortly before he was due to face a disciplinary hearing.

Blackburn-based PC Andy Chenery was due to go before a Lancashire Police misconduct board last week, but handed in a letter of resignation before the hearing could go ahead.

Mr Chenery had been subject to an internal investigation after former fitness instructor Stephen Harrison accused him of deliberately slamming a patrol car into his Rover 240 in November 2006.

Police have now revealed that there will be no criminal proceedings brought against Mr Chenery.

But Mr Chenery, 31, said that he resigned for personal reasons and not due to the allegations, which he denied.

He said: "My resignation is not connected with Mr Harrison's spurious and ill-founded allegations.

"I resigned for purely personal reasons, primarily to avoid embarrassing others.

"I was confident that the tribunal would have rejected Mr Harrison's claims."

At the time of the allegation, Mr Harrison, of Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, said he 'feared for his life' as the officer allegedly struck his stationary car at around 20mph.

Mr Harrison believed the alleged attack was prompted by a dispute involving his friend, who was a passenger in his car, and Mr Chenery.

The 22-year-old reported the matter to police and was quizzed by officers for two days.

In November 2007 he was contacted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who said they were helping to oversee the official investigation.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph a year after the incident, Mr Harrison said that he had noticed Mr Chenery following his car as he and his friend returned from a physio appointment in Great Harwood.

He claimed: "We pulled over in Shadsworth and I took my seat belt off and twisted my body to get out of the car because I wanted to speak to the officer.

"The police car slammed into the back of us at 20mph.

"There was a huge jolt and I was thrown forwards.

"The car then drove at us again and shunted us once more."

Mr Harrison said his friend fled the scene but Mr Chenery pulled his right arm behind his head and put a handcuff on him.

He said he was then released from the constraints and was not arrested.

Mr Harrison said that he had to give up his dream job as a fitness instructor because of a back injury he sustained during the alleged incident.

Mr Chenery was not suspended from his duties while the internal investigation was carried out.

His disciplinary hearing was cancelled after he handed in his notice.

Detective Superintendent Martyn Leveridge, from Lancashire Constabulary's Professional Standards Department, said: "Following on from an investigation carried out by Lancashire Constabulary's Professional Standards Department, a misconduct hearing which was due to take place on Tuesday March 25 has now been rescinded following the receipt of the officer's resignation."

Mr Chenery had contacted the Police Federation, a statutory establishment that represents the interests of officers, for support during the proceedings.

Joe Gibbons, of the Police Federation, said he believed that Mr Chenery was set to deny the allegations.

He said: "I believe the hearing was to go ahead on the view that he was not guilty of what he was accused of.

"His resignation finalised the investigation and our involvement.

"However, although he is no longer with the police, if something comes up later that relates to Mr Chenery's time as a police officer he is entitled to help from us."

A spokesperson for the IPCC said: "We were asked to supervise the police's investigation and would have set terms of reference for that investigation.

"Lancashire Police would have had to carry out their investigation and then bring that back to us but as the officer has resigned it has ended disciplinary proceedings."