A FORMER chief constable is facing a claim for almost £500,000 paid to him before he was sacked from the force in disgrace.

Sean Price, ex-chief of Cleveland Police, lost his job last October after being found guilty of gross misconduct following an eight day hearing.

Despite being the first chief constable to be sacked in 35 years, he left with a pension payout of around £300,000 and also kept his annual pension of about £60,000-a-year.

But papers lodged in the High Court reveal Cleveland Police are claiming salary and bonuses, plus interest paid to him during his time in charge.

Mr Price, 55, received a £50,000 'retention package' and an 'honorarium' of £24,000 - a bonus for cutting crime. When he took up the top job in 2003, his original salary of £125,000 included a £32,000 car allowance, £4,000 a year towards private school fees for his son, and £1,000 towards private health insurance.

By the time he was suspended in 2011, his total pay of £200,000 at the head of a then 1,700-strong force exceeded packages for chiefs of larger neighbouring forces.

Now his former employer is pursuing a claim against him for about £330,000 paid in wages and bonuses during his time in charge.

Interest on top of that claim amounts to more than £100,000, according to papers lodged at Leeds High Court.

The total figure could rise to £500,000, with interest added daily from the date of the original claim.

Cleveland Police Authority defended the bonus package when it became public knowledge saying the incentives reflected his performance.

But a pivotal part of the case against him is understood to be that incentives and bonuses paid to him were effectively 'unlawful' as they fell outside of Home Office guidelines on police pay.

Mr Price remains on police bail as Operation Sacristy, the criminal investigation into allegations of corruption linked to the former Cleveland Police Authority, continues.

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: "We can confirm that we are seeking to recover money paid to Sean Price above his statutory salary."

Mr Price was unavailable for comment.