A PUBLICITY campaign has threatened to overshadow tomorrow’s parish council by-election in Kingswear.

Police advice was sought by the returning officer at South Hams Council after leaflets were distributed and posters put up in support of one of the candidates, Lynne Maurer.

Candidates are issued with strict guidelines from the Electoral Commission about election material – and neither the posters nor the leaflets carried information about who had published them.

A South Hams Council spokesman said: ‘We have been notified of a possible imprint offence by one of the candidates of the upcoming Kingswear Parish Council election.

‘An imprint is the information printed on elections materials to show who is responsible for producing the material. This helps to make sure there is transparency about who is doing the campaigning. We have referred the report to the police who investigate imprint offences. We have advised the candidate of the report and what actions need to be taken. The election will go ahead as planned.’

Ms Maurer, of Nethway House, Broad Road, Kingswear, is standing against Richard Rawlins, of Glendene, Beacon Road, Kingswear. The vacancy on the parish council followed the resignation of Rob Adams. It is understood the leaflets have been removed.

But parish councillor Jan Henshall said it was at best questionable behaviour and the ‘damage had been done’.

She said the leaflets had made reference to resisting the temptation to pursue ‘narrow personal agendas’ and appeared to have been written by the same people who had got up an earlier petition in the village against three parish councillors, including herself.