THREE men have been charged over allegations of spying on the bidding process for running the Olympic Stadium post-Games.

It comes after a bitter battle between football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham to rent the venue as a new home ground.

Leyton Orient Football Club also wants to move into the stadium.

West Ham and Newham Council initially won their bid but it collapsed in October 2011 in the face of a legal challenge.

A new bidding process then opened but a decision on who will run the stadium has still not been announced, although Tottenham Hotspur did not apply second time around.

Unemployed Richard Forrest, 30, of Furzefield in Crawley, and Lee Stewart, 39, of More Lane in Esher, Surrey, have both been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

Howard Hill, 58, of Shrigley Road South in Poynton, Stockport, is facing two counts of the same charge.

They have been released on bail.

The investigation is being led by the Met's Economic and Specialist Crime Command following complaints from West Ham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company relating to "the unlawful obtaining of information".