BOROUGH MP Andrew Miller and Cheshire's Chief Constable are backing a 90-day detention period for terror suspects.

Mr Miller supported the Government in Wednesday's vote on how long the police can hold suspects.

And he is disappointed Tony Blair's 90-day motion was defeated by a coalition of Labour rebels, Lib Dems and Tory MPs.

He said: 'I gave this enormously important matter a great deal of thought and carefully studied the arguments both for and against. 'I believe the police, including Cheshire Constabulary, produced a compelling case for increasing the detention time limit to 90 days.

'There is currently just not enough time for officers to conclude their investigations before having to formally charge a suspect.'

He added: 'I have a duty to ensure legislation is introduced that will protect my constituents, and the rest of the country, as much as possible. We must do all in our power to try to prevent further scenes of carnage in this country.

'I am very disappointed the Government's amendment was defeated and that an excellent piece of legislation has been weakened. This, however, is democracy in action.'

Cheshire Chief Constable Peter Fahy has worked closely with Muslim community leaders, and said: 'I understand their concerns and those of others.

'Nevertheless, the greatest threat to community relations in this country is further terrorist attacks and we need additional powers which recognise the nature of that threat.

'It is critical that any new powers are used sparingly and under independent scrutiny, so High Court judges should supervise investigations beyond the current 14-day limit.

'The nature of the current terrorist threat is totally different from what we have faced before. Officers involved in this work are convinced these new powers are necessary.'