Police have dropped their inquiries into a bizarre incident involving Castle Point MP Bob Spink.

Officers were called to the Basildon depot of delivery firm City Links after the Independent MP had walked away with a parcel addressed to him without showing proper identification.

Dr Spink admitted taking the package, containing a mobile phone, after a City Links worker had refused to accept his House of Commons ID as valid identification.

However, the matter has now been dropped.

Helen Cook, a spokeswoman for Essex Police, said: “The police have liaised with both parties and the matter has now been closed.”

Dr Spink said it had been a matter of mistaken identities.

In an e-mail to the Echo, he wrote: “The courier company subsequently alerted the parcel sender and police as they thought someone may have tried to impersonate me and steal my phone.

“The supplier of the phone immediately cleared up the confusion by informing the courier company the package had been delivered correctly.”