A WEALTHY businessman has admitted that he was behind the bizarre disappearance of a new bus shelter in a Suffolk village.Police confirmed last night no further action would be taken against Clive Jewers, who was initially arrested after removing the shelter from Shop Corner, in School Lane, Elmswell, just hours after it was erected on Tuesday.

A WEALTHY businessman has admitted that he was behind the bizarre disappearance of a new bus shelter in a Suffolk village.

Police confirmed last night no further action would be taken against Clive Jewers, who was initially arrested after removing the shelter from Shop Corner, in School Lane, Elmswell, just hours after it was erected on Tuesday.

The new facility was uprooted using a forklift truck, loaded onto the back of a lorry, and taken away.

Later that afternoon businessman Mr Jewers, one of the village's wealthiest and most influential residents, was arrested and taken to Stowmarket police station and questioned on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.

However, 60-year-old Mr Jewers, of OC Jewers and Sons grain and seed merchants, was later released without charge and although originally bailed to reappear later this month, he has now been informed he faces no further action.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Jewers told the EADT he had removed the shelter and had been moved to take such drastic action because of a dispute over land ownership.

He said: "Effectively it's a civil matter relating to the legality of the placement of a bus shelter on land which is shown on my deeds as my property.

"I understand the parish council made a decision to place the bus shelter there, they did it without talking to me. I'm not disputing the need for a bus shelter, but my deeds show I own the land in that area."

Mr Jewers, whose substantial home and paddock border the street where the shelter was installed, also said that he had told the county council of his intention to remove the bus shelter immediately prior to removing it, and then informed the council he had done so.

He added: "They knew what I was doing and I made sure the bus shelter was not damaged in any way."

It has also transpired that this is not the first time the bus shelter issue has arisen as earlier this year when workmen turned up to install it, Mr Jewers sent them away.

Mr Jewers owns the paddock adjoining the pavement where the bus shelter was installed, and used to own the land which is now paved, but the shelter had actually been installed beside the pavement rather than on it, on land he claims is his.

He acknowledged there was a humorous side to his actions, and that it was a drastic move, but said there was a serious point to be made and it was not something he took lightly, nor was it his intention to act to the detriment of the villagers.

Suffolk County Council had offered the bus shelter to the village as part of a transport action plan in September 2003, and Elmswell Parish Council helped choose the best place to install it, settling upon the corner

Elmswell parish councillor Doug Reed, chairman of the group which drew up the village's transport action plan which identified the need for the bus shelter, said the council should acknowledge its part in the debacle.

He said: "We have got to hold our hands up here and say we didn't get it right, if we had communicated more with Mr Jewers then perhaps this situation could have been handled better and the whole thing might have been avoided."

Elmswell residents yesterday received the story with good humour, and one villager who had been in the village shop early in the morning, said people had read their story in their EADTs with howls of laughter.