London, Apr 9 (IANS): A 47-year-old British policeman has been fired after he was caught using official phones to download pornography and exchange obscene text messages.

Chief Inspector Mark Brew, in charge of 100 officers of the Merseyside's Matrix anti-gun unit, was dismissed for gross misconduct, the Daily Mail reported.

A disciplinary hearing was told how Brew left a junior officer in charge of a conference while he went for a sex session with a married lover.

Brew admitted using his police-issued iPhone and Blackberry to surf the internet for pornography and to send and receive text messages with two women colleagues.

He has denied the accusations of sex, despite a confession from the woman.

Brew also allegedly used the police force as a taxi service, forcing an officer to drive across the country to escort him home, rather than catching a train.

A police spokesman confirmed that a misconduct hearing took place, and the chief inspector was dismissed with immediate effect.