A FOURTH man has been arrested by detectives investigating allegations that Spurs spied on London 2012 officials during its bid for the Olympic Stadium.

A 45-year-old man was arrested this morning and is being held at a south London police station while his home is searched, in relation to claims by West Ham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) that Tottenham put officials under surveillance.

Three other men, aged 29, 39 and 57, have been arrested in recent months during the inquiry by the Metropolitan Police's Economic and Specialist Crime Command.

OPLC chairwoman Baroness Ford claimed in November that the north London football club had all 14 members of her board monitored by private investigators. Spurs deny putting officials under surveillance, rejecting the accusation “in the strongest possible terms”.

West Ham reported Spurs to police in August over claims the Tottenham club used a private investigator to steal bank and telephone records of senior executives.

The east London club were handed the stadium last March after a bitter bidding process. But after Spurs launched lengthy legal action against the OPLC, ministers decided to scrap the plan and keep it as public property.

The stadium is still likely to be rented to a football team after the 2012 Games, with Mayor of London Boris Johnson saying last year it would “almost certainly be West Ham”.