A criminal investigation into two journalists in Northern Ireland, who aired confidential material in a documentary last year, has been dropped.

Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey were arrested last August when an official police document appeared in their film about the Loughinisland killings.

Six Catholic men were killed when UVF gunmen opened fire at the Heights Bar in the small Co Down village in June 1994.

The reporters have always maintained the material featured in the documentary 'No Stone Unturned' came from an anonymous whistleblower.

It raised serious questions about the police investigation into the 1994 loyalist terror attack.

At the time of the arrests, police said they were in connection with the alleged theft of documents related to a probe by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland (PONI) into how the original police investigation into the massacre was carried out.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has welcomed the confirmation that the criminal investigation by the PSNI and Durham Constabulary has been dropped.

The two men were told of the decision on Monday night, after arrangements for the return of journalistic material illegally seized last August were confirmed in the High Court in Belfast.

The Chief Justice was advised that the material would be available for collection on Tuesday morning.

'Independent investigation'

On Friday, the Belfast High Court upheld the judicial appeal by the two journalists against the seizure of confidential journalistic material.

In a statement, the NUJ has called for an independent investigation into the manner in which the journalists were treated by the police officers.

Séamus Dooley, NUJ assistant general secretary, said: "We welcome the decision to end the investigation but this case raises a number of fundamental questions about the attitude of the PSNI and Durham Constabulary towards the media.

"The manner in which warrants were secured, the execution of those warrants, the severe bail restrictions imposed on Barry and Trevor and the damage done to their reputation cannot simply be brushed aside on foot of a High Court judgement which could not have been more damning.

"There should be an independent investigation into the police handling of this case."

"The Chief Justice was clear and unambiguous, not just in upholding the appeal but in explicitly asserting the right of NUJ members to adhere to their union's Code of Professional Conduct.

"The focus of police attention should have been on the Loughinisland massacre.

"The documentary, No Stone Unturned, is profoundly disturbing and serves as a reminder of the significant failures over 25 years to secure justice for the families of that terrible event.

"The past nine months has caused additional grief and stress to those families. In welcoming the announcement our thoughts are with them at this time."