A POLICE worker accepted gifts from contractors because they were his friends, a court heard.

Stephen Kell and Kevin Mighall, both 52, are accused of enjoying holidays and days out with businesses keen to maintain their contracts.

A Liverpool Crown Court jury heard the pair worked for Merseyside Police’s estate operations department, which had a £3m budget to maintain all of the force’s buildings.

Prosecutor Jeremy Grout-Smith said the scam ran for seven years, during which time Bootle-based IFS Construction, Whittakers Ltd in Huyton and the city centre-based Paul Moy Associates received work from the department.

Mr Grout-Smith said Kell told police the gifts were because he was friends with the contractors.

He also said Kell had described one of the treats as being a “thank you gift”.

He told the jury: “It’s an ongoing relationship. If you send somebody a generous gift it might be for work in the past, but it’s also to make sure he treats you favourably in future.”

He said both men knew they were not allowed to accept gifts and did not declare any of the gifts they received.

Kell, of Queens Drive, Meols; Mighall, of Dorchester Park, Prenton; Clifford Elliott, 62, of Manor Drive, Birkenhead; David Lloyd, 60 of Cinder Lane, Childwall; Alan Cooper, 53, of Ambleside Road, Allerton; Paul Moy, 46 of Dark Lane, Lathom, and Paul Gaskell, 46, of Blackmoss Lane, Aughton, all deny conspiracy to commit corruption.

Cooper denies a charge of false accounting.

Moy and Gaskell also deny a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The case continues.