A POLICE investigation involving Darlington’s mayor has been dropped, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Cllr Jan Taylor was accused of assaulting fellow councillor Kevin Nicholson at a cops and robbers themed Mayor’s Ball in April.

The pair made national headlines following the alleged incident, with the mayor – elected just days after an investigation was launched - facing calls to stand down.

On Monday, a spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said their investigation would go no further, citing insufficient evidence.

Cllr Nicholson said he was disappointed to hear no further action would be taken and has submitted a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), raising a number of questions about the police investigation.

Primarily, Cllr Nicholson is questioning why it took so long for the force to conclude that there was insufficient evidence to act.

He also believes officers from outside of Darlington should have led the investigation, saying that the council often work closely with local police representatives.

He said: “This is something that could have been sorted in days, but instead it’s taken almost three months.

“My experience as a victim has been poor and I don’t care if you are a bin-man or the Queen, you should be treated with respect.

“I think it would have been appropriate to get this into court, let the judge have the evidence and decide what it says.

“It’s been awful for it to drag on so long and I’m very disappointed.”

A Durham Police spokeswoman said: “We conducted a thorough investigation into the incident. A 63-year-old woman was interviewed as a voluntary attender and no further action was taken."