An aviation watchdog has dropped an investigation involving a millionaire businessman who was accused of dropping 20,000 leaflets over Castle Point.

The Civil Aviation Authority spent four months probing allegations that businessman Terry Holding dropped the leaflets as he flew his private plane over Canvey, Hadleigh and Benfleet.

The leaflets allegedly made disparaging remarks about the former Castle Point MP Christine Butler.

At the time of the leaflet drop on June 2, Mrs Butler was campaigning to defend her seat.

Now the Civil Aviation Authority has decided there is insufficient evidence to press ahead.

Brian Wilson (Lab, St Mary's) hit out at the decision. He said: "It is unbelievable. You would have thought the Civil Aviation Authority must have some way of logging flights and pilots would have had to have kept logs of their flights.

"It beggars belief, therefore, that it can now turn around and say it has no evidence. I saw the leaflets being dropped and they were falling down around our ears.

"If the CAA doesn't know which plane it is or who is flying it they ought to pursue the matter until they find out.

Neither Mr Holding nor Mrs Butler was available for comment.

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