POLICE are now examining information relating to financial concerns at Beamish Museum, it has been confirmed.

Durham Constabulary said it was contacted after an internal inquiry at the open-air living history attraction, near Stanley.

Director Richard Evans, who had led the team since 2008 and was paid at least £90,000 a year, left his post last week following an eight-month period of suspension.

The Northern Echo revealed in September trustees were informed he was facing a disciplinary hearing following a financial review completed in late August.

North Durham MP Kevan Jones has called for further transparency on the matter.

Mr Jones said: “Beamish is a well-loved and cherished attraction. It is hugely popular and important in the North-East.

“To maintain public confidence the trustees should be as transparent as possible.

“If they have raised concerns with the Charity Commission I think it is important that they publicly explain the background to the case.”

Beamish Museum has now confirmed the matter is in the hands of the police.

A spokesperson for the popular attraction said: “The board, in line with their duties as trustees of the museum, did report a serious incident to the Charity Commission and the police.

“The Charity Commission has concluded its correspondence with the museum.

“However, as this matter is subject to investigation by the police, we cannot comment further on the nature of the incident.”

Beamish Museum has a team of more than 430 staff, 500 volunteers and more than 2,000 friends and business partners.

This year marks the museum’s golden anniversary and over the last 50 years it has grown into one of the region’s most visited attractions.

The Northern Echo understands concerns were raised and an audit of the organisation’s finances was carried out by Durham County Council.

A Durham Constabulary spokesperson said: “We have received some information from Beamish Museum and are currently examining it.”

The local authority has three representatives on the Board of Trustees for Beamish and last year it provided £20,000 to the museum as grant funding.

Beamish was registered as a charity in 2006, but continues to receive support from local authorities, including Durham County Council, Sunderland City Council, Gateshead Council, South Tyneside Council and North Tyneside Council.

The Charity Commission said: “Beamish Museum reported a serious incident, in line with our guidance, to the commission last year in relation to financial concerns at the charity.

“We subsequently engaged with the trustees to assess their handling of the matter.

“Recently, the charity notified the commission that their former director has resigned and the charity will be recruiting a new director. We are continuing to monitor the charity’s next steps and cannot comment further.”