The BBC reports that six people have appeared in court charged with taking part in a £50m mortgage fraud.

The accused, from London, Birmingham and Hertfordshire, include four former solicitors, a surveyor and a property developer. It is alleged several banks and building societies were defrauded in a series of false mortgage applications.

The suspects appeared at Southwark Crown Court charged with conspiracy to obtain a money transfer by deception.

The inquiry by the Serious Fraud Office was launched by West Midlands Police in March 2006 after a complaint from Cheshire Building Society.

The building society said mortgages were secured on six commercial investment properties but not repaid.

All six were released on bail until the next hearing on 1 March.

Those charged are Ian McGarry, 40, from Hertfordshire; Saghir Afzal, 47, Fatema Patwa, 47, Hardeep Sodhi, 33, all Birmingham; Laurence Ferrigan, 48, from Wanstead, east London and Simon Lawrence, 48, from Edgware, north London.