A police officer has been forced to quit after being branded a bigamist by the wife he worked alongside.

Despite the fact they both worked together at Middlesbrough Police Station, John Cousins had neglected to mention to his estranged wife Karen that he was getting

The investigation into PC Cousins began in April last year after his second wife Karen Cousins, who he had left in 1997, was told he had married another woman.

Karen, a civilian crime analyst, only discovered the truth one Monday morning when colleagues began chatting about the wedding reception. Fellow workers were at St Cuthbert's Church, Marton, last year when he married Karen Fisher - but no one raised any objection to the marriage proceeding.

Mrs Cousins, 39, was interviewed after the news reached senior officers and an investigation was launched.

Mr Cousins, 38, started dating Karen Fisher, a year after his marriage broke down but his decree absolute had not come through.

At the time, PC Brian Docherty, of the Police Federation, which represented Mr Cousins, said: "What was a very special family occasion has been tarnished by a simple mistake, an error of judgement. The family are deeply upset at what has happened."

Mr Cousins, a PC with Cleveland Police for ten years, has been forced to resign after the chief constable yesterday ruled he had "brought the service into disrepute". MrCousins claimed it was simple case of getting his forms mixed up.

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said: "Following a disciplinary hearing an officer who admitted an offence of bringing disrepute upon the service has been required to resign."

Neither Mr Cousins nor his second wife wished to comment.

His father Fred said: "This was a genuine mistake on John's part, he received the decree nisi in July 98 and thought he was divorced.