London - Britain's press watchdog on Monday dismissed allegations that a top-selling tabloid hacked the cellphones of celebrities, footballers and politicians to glean stories.

The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) concluded "there is no evidence that the practice of phone message tapping is ongoing" by the News of the World newspaper, after a four-month inquiry.

The Guardian sparked a storm in July after it alleged the News of the World tabloid hired investigators to hack into the phones of high-profile figures including Manchester United football boss Alex Ferguson.

The Guardian revealed the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid had paid out hundreds of thousands of pounds to settle legal action by Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, over hacking.

It also alleged actress Gwyneth Paltrow, singer George Michael, ex-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson and former deputy prime minister John Prescott were among celebrities whose phone messages were intercepted.

The watchdog's inquiry focused on whether it was misled by the tabloid during its investigation into an original 2007 scandal and whether there was any evidence that phone message hacking had been ongoing since then.

The News of the World's then royal editor, Clive Goodman, and private investigator Glen Mulcaire were jailed in 2007 after the phone messages of aides to Prince William, second in line to the throne, were illegally accessed.

The News of the World's editor at the time, Andy Coulson, is now the communications chief for the main opposition Conservative Party.

Coulson resigned from the editor's job after the court trial, saying he took "ultimate responsibility."

The PCC said: "Despite the manner in which the Guardian's allegations were treated in some quarters - as if they related to current or recent activity - there is no evidence that the practice of phone message tapping is ongoing."

"The Commission is satisfied that - so far as it is possible to tell - its work aimed at improving the integrity of undercover journalism has played its part in raising standards in this area." - AFP