Fifth council official sacked over Edinburgh housing repairs probe

Five members of staff have now been dismissed from Edinburgh City Council

A fifth member of staff at Edinburgh City Council has been sacked over an alleged multi-million pound housing repair scam.

BBC Scotland revealed four workers were dismissed in December 2011 after an internal investigation.

The investigation was into the way contracts were awarded for work relating to property maintenance in the capital.

When the allegations came to light last year, at least 15 staff were suspended.

About 500 people have also complained about statutory notices with concerns including costs and unnecessary work.

The council said it would investigate all outstanding 513 disputes, which include alleged bribery, overcharging, unnecessary and poor quality work.

Edinburgh City Council uses a system of statutory notices to ensure essential repairs are carried out on its historic tenements.

Under the statutory notice system, Edinburgh City Council can intervene to organise repair work on private properties when the owners of shared buildings cannot reach agreement.