CAR buff Tony Moore could not believe his eyes when he saw his beloved Land Rover being driven around town and offered for sale.

Months earlier, police had seized the distinctive yellow vehicle and magistrates had ordered its destruction.

Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Mr Moore followed the Land Rover - and was stunned to discover the driver was a detective.

Cleveland Police has launched an inquiry into how the car came into the hands of Detective Constable Ian Craig.

Mr Moore built the vehicle from parts he had bought from private dealers and auto fairs across Britain. He was distraught when police seized it because Mr Moore had unwittingly bought an illegal chassis.

He was never charged, but magistrates ordered that the vehicle be destroyed. Mr Moore thought that was the end of his dream car, but months later saw it being driven around Teesside.

Then he spotted a photo of it in the adverts of Land Rover Owner magazine, where it was offered for £7,995. The phone number given belonged to Mr Craig's father, Malcolm Craig - a retired former inspector with Cleveland Police, living in Seaton Carew.

Cleveland Police launched the investigation after Mr Moore's solicitor, Scott Taylor, demanded an explanation.

Mr Taylor said:"I expect a full and complete investigation, not only into this vehicle, but into how many other vehicles have been similarly treated."

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police confirmed an inquiry was under way.

She said: "Normally, the police would instruct the garage to sell anything that wasn't a component part in order to recover the garage's storage and recovery costs."

DC Craig's father confirmed he bought it after being alerted by his son. "I was able to buy it for parts for a little over £500," said Mr Craig.

"They allowed me to take the entire vehicle, but only on the condition that I returned the engine and chassis to them to be crushed, which I did."

Mr Craig said he had spent £5,500 renovating the vehicle and that his son was only borrowing it when driving to and from work