HOME Secretary David Blunkett was last night locked in a battle with Humberside Police Authority over its refusal to suspend under-fire Chief Constable David Westwood.

In an unprecedented move, Mr Blunkett threatened to take the authority to court unless it relived Mr Westwood of his duties because of the damning criticisms of his force in Sir Michael Bichard's report on the Soham child murders.

Under the Police Reform Act, the Home Secretary has the power to demand a chief constable's suspension, but cannot sack him directly.

Mr Blunkett said yesterday that he would begin the legal action "at the earliest opportunity" - possibly on Monday.

But the police authority remained defiant. Its chairman, Labour councillor Colin Inglis, said: "The Home Secretary is not David Westwood's line manager. David Westwood works for the police authority.

"If the Home Secretary expected a rubber stamp then that, I'm afraid, is not what he's got in the Humberside Police Authority."

Mr Inglis added: "If the Home Secretary goes immediately to court without having considered the reasons why we have made the decision we have, and why we have asked him to think again, then in my view he will be acting unreasonably and not taking into consideration the police authority's view."

Earlier, authority members voted by 12 votes to five to defy Mr Blunkett's order to suspend Mr Westwood, instead urging him to reconsider his demand.

Mr Blunkett said: "In the absence of any new arguments, I have decided to maintain my decision and I now call upon the authority to comply with the law and suspend Mr Westwood.

"If they do not I will be taking the necessary legal steps at the earliest opportunity at the beginning of next week to require them to do so."

Mr Blunkett said he made his original decision to order the suspension after "extensive deliberation" based on "the enormity" of Sir Michael's criticisms.

But Mr Westwood has said he wants to be able to put right errors which allowed Soham killer Ian Huntley to get a job at a school.

Another member of the police authority, Councillor John Neal, said their actions flew in the face of legal advice.

"We are in the wrong, as I see it," he said.

"My personal view is that we should have taken cognisance of what we were required to do by the law, by the Home Secretary and that advice has been totally ignored."

Mr Neal added that he wanted Mr Westwood to go, adding: "We are the second worst police force in the country.

"I always say you have more chance of seeing a unicorn in People's Park (in Grimsby) than seeing a policeman on the beat."

Austin Mitchell, Labour MP for Great Grimsby, in Humberside, said the situation needed to be resolved as quickly as possible.

He said: "What we don't want would be Gunfight at the OK Corral in Humberside between the police authority, the chief constable and the Home Secretary."

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the situation was chaotic.

"I have deliberately not commented on the possible suspension of Mr Westwood, arguing it is a quasi-judicial process," he said.

"However, it is now descending into political chaos. This mess should be sorted out sooner rather than later."