POLICE investigating allegations of corruption at Stoke-on-Trent City Council are trying to find out if there were any plans to sell a municipal leisure centre.

Sources already spoken to by detectives claim they were asked what they knew about an alleged deal to sell the council-owned Dimensions Leisure Centre, in Burslem, to a private buyer.

The questioning comes as Staffordshire Police investigate events surrounding the council's aborted attempt to shut the leisure centre's splash pool last year.

They have already arrested Conservative councillor Roger Ibbs on suspicion of corruption in public office.

A week later elected mayor Mark Meredith was arrested and questioned on suspicion of misconduct in public office and complicity in corruption in public office.

Both men are bailed until June and have publicly vowed to prove their innocence.

Now The Sentinel can reveal that council sources claim the investigation relates to plans drawn up last year to sell Dimensions to a private buyer.

One of those interviewed about the matter said: "The police were asking a lot of questions about whether people knew of any plans to sell Dimensions.

"I had never seen anything in writing about it, but I have heard people talking about it at the council.

"We know that the splash pool was actually well used at the time."

The Sentinel understands detectives are also interested in a decision by the then Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust (PCT) to offer heavily subsidised swimming sessions for thousands of schoolchildren at Waterworld in April last year.

The initiative ran as Dimensions supporters tried to drum up more usage at the splash pool.

The NHS funding meant 6,500 pupils from 26 schools could swim for £1, instead of the normal admission price of between £3.99 and £6.99.

One city councillor, who has not been interviewed by police, said: "I would have thought they would be looking into how public money from the NHS came to be handed to a private company instead of going to the PCT's public sector partner - the city council."

Staffordshire Police and the city council have refused to comment on the ongoing investigation.