Married father-of-two Graham Rigg, 51, from Collingwood Street, South Shields, was pulled over by police as he made his way home from South Shields seafront on Easter Monday.

Officers ordered him to lock up his vehicle and sit in the back seat of their patrol car, before telling him there had been a 999 call saying he'd been taking pictures of children in a play park.

But the moment officers realised the episode had been a major misunderstanding, Mr Rigg was sent on his way.

Today he criticised the caller, and questioned the police's response.

He said: "There were hundreds of people taking photos that day on digital cameras and their mobile phones – so why pick on me?

"We live in a society where people are treated as suspects from the outset.

"All the caller had to do was approach me and I'd have happily showed them the photos I'd taken, given them my card, and even encouraged them to visit my photography blog.

"But instead I was put through this ordeal after being tracked down by CCTV."

As police began quizzing him in the back of the car, the keen photographer said he protested his innocence.

Mr Rigg, who first started taking photographs in 1974, claims the officer told him he matched the description the caller had given, and that there had been no mistake.

But the ordeal was over when the officer looked through his Pentax K100D camera and found nothing more than snaps of holiday revellers on waltzers and dodgems.

A further check of his website confirmed that he was a legitimate part-time photographer, and he was released after an apology.

Mr Rigg, who represented Beacon and Bents as a Progressive councillor in the early 80s, added: "CCTV is part of the problem.

"It makes everyone a suspect and it has no use as a deterrent.

"In this case, all it's done is track an innocent man down who was going about his legal business."

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "At about 3pm on Easter Monday we received a call from a member of the public concerned about a man in a vehicle taking photographs in Littlehaven car park.

"Inquiries were made and no further action was taken."