A BLACKBURN man who claims the police are wrongfully retaining £6,600 belonging to him has been told to wait longer before he can pursue his claim for the money to be returned.

David Gudgeon, who was arrested 15 months after refusing to pay an alleged £10,000 gambling debt to bookmakers William Hill, has still not been charged nearly two years after the bet was supposedly made and six months after police seized cash and bank statements from his Blackburn home.

Solicitor Daniel King told Blackburn magistrates that while the police application for a further eight-day adjournment might seem reasonable it had to be viewed against the amount of time the police had already had.

"I find it rather curious that the money was seized in the first place," said Mr King. "As far as we are concerned no money has been paid out. What William Hill are complaining about is that they haven't been paid and that would normally be a civil dispute."

He said after being arrested in November Mr Gudgeon had been released on police bail until February.

"He has been re-bailed again and again and it was at that point that application was made for his money to be returned," said Mr King.

"We are now six months into the inquiry, without any progress being made and the police are still holding my client's £6,600." When the matter was last before the court it was revealed that Mr Gudgeon was on police bail until May 8. "On the last occasion the district judge was told a decision would be made by that time as to whether my client would be charged with any offence," said Mr King.

"He still has not been charged with anything and the police are still holding his money. Eight days is not a long time but my concern is that we may come back on May 24 and the police will say they are still not ready. I wonder when the appropriate time will come to draw a line under this matter." Niamh Noone, for the police, said they are waiting for expert analysis of tape recordings of the bet being placed in August 2000 and recordings of Mr Gudgeon in interview.

"I am conscious that there has been delay by the police but that has been because of the need to gather forensic evidence from audio experts," said Ms Noone.

"I am sympathetic towards Mr Gudgeon because no charges have been laid against him but I would ask for a further adjournment until May 24 to give police time to receive the experts' reports and consider them."

The magistrates agreed to the police request for an adjournment.