Buyer for Sainsbury's is arrested

A potato buyer for supermarket Sainsbury's has been arrested over claims he received illegal payments from a supplier.

John Maylam was questioned by City of London police after claims he took cash from producer Greenvale.

The alleged payments are thought to be about £3m. A member of Greenvale staff was also arrested and questioned.

Police said two men were arrested on suspicion of corruption and money laundering and subsequently bailed.

Staff suspended

Greenvale won the Queen's Award for Innovation in 2006 and is one of the country's main potato suppliers.

It supplies about half of Sainsbury's potatoes and has packing operations in Shropshire, Cambridgeshire and in Berwickshire.