THE merger of Lancashire's police with Cumbria was expected to be officially scrapped yesterday.

Members of the Cumbria Police Authority were meeting to vote on whether to abandon the merger.

And, after bosses said two weeks ago that the merger was almost certainly off due to problems over future council tax levels, they were expected to agree to scrap the project.

Tomorrow, members of the Lancashire Police Authority will stage their vote, but the result could be academic.

The merger project has been branded a farce by critics after it collapsed following 10 months of planning due to an eleventh-hour row between the Treasury and the Home Office over council tax capping.

Tens of thousands of pounds of Lancashire tax payers' cash had been spent on the project.