Labour's parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion has been targeted by a Twitter troll.

Purna Sen has been the victim of racist comments on the social media site for months.

The comments were left on Twitter by user @lemonsfutbal who has subjected Mrs Sen, and other politicians and celebrities, to vile abuse.

Dr Sen said: “I am sad that anyone would use social media to spread such hateful comments but I am also touched by the support from those who have been in touch with me personally and the many people who have commented on Twitter.

“Cyber bullying and online abuse can have a terrible impact on people’s lives and we must work together to make it clear this is not acceptable.”

Bullying charity Combat Bullying has recently launched an online petition on the Government’s e-petition website calling for Facebook and Twitter to be put under more pressure to tackle abuse on their websites.

On the petition the charity said: “These sites allow people space to post anonymous abuse aimed very specifically at individuals who can identify themselves – yet not know who has posted the threatening, sexist or degrading comment, with the moderation of comments and posts left to the people who created the page.

“The fact that these sites are not constantly moderated results in a breeding ground for bullies to play their anonymous hand, protected from any repercussions.

“This issue urgently needs to be brought to the Government’s attention to apply pressure on Twitter and Facebook, forcing them to address their terms of service and operating procedures in dealing with online abuse.”