The Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, may have to cast a more careful eye over what he puts in his recycling bin after bank statements were stolen from outside his house.

Blaming over-enthusiastic recycling efforts as part of his role as Environment Minister, Mr Prescott said his statements must have been put out with old newspapers by accident.

But he made it clear that he suspected a journalist may have stolen the papers in a bid to find out embarrassing information about Mr Prescott.

Mr Prescott reported the theft to police after his bank manager rang him on New Year's Eve to say someone claiming to be a journalist had been inquiring about his account details.

"There is no story"

He said: "Being a good Environment Minister I put all my papers in the bin and the council collect it once a month. It must have had some statements from the bank thrown out with them.

"There is a chance it was just some kid messing about but I wouldn't be surprised if a journalist stole it. There is a lot of money to be made from that.

"In this case there is no story. There is nothing embarrassing at all."

He said the wheelie-bin, used for recycling paper, could have been stolen eight weeks ago from outside his home in Hull, but he reported it only when he received the call from his bank mangager.

Humberside police confirmed that the incident had been reported and said they were investigating the theft.

In the past John Prescott has accused some journalists of trying underhand tactics to collect damaging information about him.
 

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