A row has broken out after a councillor was accused of wrenching a rival's leaflet from a letterbox, sparking allegations of foul play on the campaign trail.

Labour councillor Frieda Warman-Brown has been accused of pulling a Conservative leaflet out of a letterbox to replace it with one of her own while canvassing in Hove.

BT engineer Mark Hender, 40, said he saw the leaflet wrenched from the letter box at his home in Livingstone House in Clarendon Road, Hove, on Saturday. It has caused concern among Brighton and Hove's Conservative group.

Mr Hender said: "About ten minutes after I heard the leaflet being pushed through my letterbox, there was a knock at the door.

"As I went to open it, I heard a rustling, then I saw the leaflet being pulled out of my letter box again."

Mr Hender confronted Coun Warman-Brown and her companion, councillor Simon Battle, who was holding a pile of the Tory flyers.

He said: "I was very annoyed. It doesn't matter what junk mail goes through my door, nobody has the right to remove it. It is an intrusion into my privacy and, in my eyes, is no better than stealing.

"I am not surprised this sort of thing goes on in politics. I am just shocked it happened to me, in front of my eyes."

Councillors Warman-Brown and Battle represent Vallance ward, which will be split between new wards Central Hove and Goldsmith in the May elections.

They have denied any wrongdoing.

Coun Warman-Brown said: "As I placed one of our cards through the letter box, the Tory leaflet fell out. It was in my hand when the man opened the door.

"I probably would not have reposted it but I certainly had not gone around pulling leaflets out of other doors."

Coun Battle said: "I was carrying Conservative leaflets because we had been given them by residents we had visited."

The complaint sparked anger among the Conservative group.

Tory leader Brian Oxley said: "The excuse is pathetic. Even if the leaflet had fallen out of the door, it should have been given back to the resident.

"I'm sure if it was a gas bill it would have been handed straight back. It is disturbing in a democracy if one party is not letting electors read the literature of another."