David Blunkett has threatened legal action against the Humberside Police Authority after it failed to act on his demand to suspend its chief constable.

The home secretary said he was "quite prepared to take whatever steps are necessary" to force the authority to obey his order.

"I now call upon the authority to comply with the law and suspend Mr Westwood," he said.

"If they do not, I will be taking the necessary legal steps at the earliest opportunity."

The authority, which met on Friday, defied the home secretary by refusing to suspend David Westwood.

It provoked a showdown by urging Blunkett to rethink his order.

The chief constable had already invoked Blunkett's ire by refusing to resign, and the Home Office is understood to be furious at the authority's action.

Blunkett's decision to suspend Westwood was made after a damning report by Sir Michael Bichard into mistakes by two police forces concerning the Soham murderer Ian Huntley.

Sir Michael said he had uncovered "errors, omissions, failures and shortcomings which are deeply shocking".

Both the Humberside and Cambridgeshire constabularies failed to block Huntley's appointment as a school caretaker despite a string of sex allegations.

Announcing the authority's decision, chairman Colin Inglis said members had asked the home secretary to "reconsider his decision".

"By a majority of 12 votes to five, the police authority has agreed the following resolution: That the home secretary be asked to reconsider his decision to require Humberside Police Authority to suspend the chief constable, David Westwood," he said.