Chief Constable Sean Price claimed a smear campaign

The move follows claims by Cleveland chief constable Sean Price that he was the victim of a smear campaign.

The force is the subject of an Audit Commission probe into an �8m deficit in its funding.

Now the Cleveland Police Authority has told Mr Price they consider it "inappropriate" for him to discuss the ongoing investigation.

The chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, Ken Walker, believes Mr Price should not have publicly reacted to a leaked document about the financial deficit in the force's budget.

Public interest

Mr Walker's reaction comes on the back of a strongly worded statement issued by Mr Price last week.

In the statement he said he was aware of a "concerted smear campaign" against him that claimed he knew about the force's financial troubles, months before it was made public.

Mr Price said he thought those responsible should "consider the damage they were doing to morale and the force's reputation".

But Mr Walker has said the chief constable's claims are diverting public interest away from the issues at the heart of the investigation.

He said members of the police authority had democratically decided that it was no longer appropriate for Mr Price to discuss the issues in public.