A 15 month inquiry by Cambridgeshire police has resulted in Tony Dooley, 54, the former steward of Chatteris Conservative Club being charged with theft.

His wife has also been charged in connection with the offence.

The decision to charge the Dooleys was taken by the Crown Prosecution Service following months of detailed scrutiny of the club’s accounts.

Chatteris Tories called in Cambs Police to investigate after they suspended their then steward in the run up to Christmas 2012.

Club officials have now posted a notice inside the club informing members of the decision to charge the Dooleys.

Dooley has been charged with theft from an employer and his wife has been charged with “using or possessing criminal property”. No details of the alleged amounts have been released.

Both have been summonsed to appear before Huntingdon magistrates on April 22.

The annual profit and loss account of the club during 2011/12 showed that the club had a turn over of £136,304 from bar sales and a further £35,585 from machine takings, subscriptions, hire of function room and other income streams.

However the running costs – which included salaries and wages of £49,136 -, saw the club’s profits shrink to £7,711 and that was before “exceptional items”.

These were reported to around 60 club members at a meeting as being specifically £32,023.

The private members club was formed nearly 100 years ago, originally for men only and over the years the King Edward Road premises have been upgraded and local ‘celebrity’ members included snooker player Joe Perry and former professional boxer Dave ‘Boy’ Green.