sniper wrote:

I have no paperwork relating to the case, - I can't even remember what court
it was in- never thinking I'd need it so now I have to apparently contact
New Scotland yard to try to find some record. Exactly how, or how long this
will take, I have yet to find out

You have looked here, I suppose:
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web.../add_crime.htm

Surely this is an offence against Civil Liberties? If I'd been found guilty
then maybe I could have understood it but in these circumstance this seems
totally unfair, especially as I've previously travelled to the US many times
without problems.

It looks like you're over a bit of a barrel. You're right, it is
a nasty take on civil liberties. It's easy for me to say, but to
fight back you should come clean. You didn't do anything wrong,
and to imply that arrest = guilt is what a police state what do. A
person ought to be able to declare a pointless/incorrect arrest
without it being seen negative, otherwise it's just adding fuel to
their fire. They could always deny your visa and there's not much
you can do about it after that point, but otherwise you're being
denied entry implicitly for no fault on your part. As another
poster writes, they're unlikely to connect that arrest to you,
but you technically ought to declare it. Why not discuss it with
your employer, and see what they advise you to do. At least then
it's out in the open, and any delays can be explained and maybe
they can help adjust schedules to fit?

--
Ken Tough