North Yorkshire Police Authority members have hit back at claims of low morale across the force from Police Federation leaders - pointing to the number of officers trying to join from other areas.

Graeme Robertson said almost 700 inquiries had been received in recent months from people keen to join the county's police.

"I can't understand why we are being told that morale in this force is low. We are getting applications to transfer to the force from external applicants - and as far as I know nobody is wanting to leave. This is inconsistent with the comments that morale is a problem," he said.

Chief Constable David Kenworthy said recruiting was going so well that the force could not secure any more places on national police training courses.

He forecast that by March the force's officer strength would have gone up from the current 1,309 to 1,336 - with more to come.

Coun David Lloyd-Williams said officers transferring already had considerable, and in some cases vast, experience.

But Mr Kenworthy pointed out the possible impact on North Yorkshire's pensions bill, as an officer arriving with 20 years in the job would give ten years' service but leave the county with a 30-year pension bill. Coun Peter Vaughan warned pensions were a major concern, now accounting for £1 of every £6 spent on policing in North Yorkshire. He said 26 officers had retired up to the end of August, while the budget assumed a total of 40 retirements during 2000-01.

Authority vice-chairman Coun Jane Kenyon said the Government should "grasp" the pensions problem. But Mr Kenworthy said a report promised last October and again in April was still to be issued, and authority treasurer John Moore said the topic was in a Government "thinking drawer", perhaps until after a General Election