POLICE investigating fraud allegations have arrested four former employees of a training firm founded by a Derbyshire woman.

Emma Harrison, of Thornbridge Hall, near Bakewell, was appointed by the Prime Minister in 2010 to advise on getting 120,000 households back to work.

But there are calls for the Government to suspend contracts with her employment agency, A4e, after it referred former employees' activities to police last month.

Thames Valley Police visited the firm's offices in Slough last Friday.

The force has arrested four people in connection with the inquiry.

A police spokesman said: "As part of the investigation, four people, two women aged 28 and 49, and two men, aged 35 and 41, were arrested on suspicion of fraud on January 18 from addresses across the Thames Valley."

They have been released on bail until next month and A4e chief executive Andrew Dutton has repeated assurances that the company has a "zero-tolerance" policy on fraud.

He said: "I will not sit by and let these accusations discredit the hard work that our staff do to support thousands of people into work."