A senior councillor has warned East Lancashire politicians are 'frightened' following alleged incidents of 'threats and intimidation' against activists during this month's local elections.

Cllr Melissa Fisher, deputy leader of Hyndburn's Labour group, raised the issue at the borough's annual council meeting on Thursday night.

She told her colleagues: "I would like to make a short statement about the safety of councillors, activists and council staff during the recent local elections.

"As some of you are aware, an individual, who stood as an Independent candidate, has been arrested by the police on several occasions for [alleged] threats and intimidation towards Labour activists and councillors in the Altham ward.

"I do not wish to comment on the ongoing investigation to allow the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to undertake their duties.

"I do however want to inform councillors that during the campaign Labour Party activists, candidates and councillors were advised by the national party to stop campaigning for personal safety reasons, and I wish to draw to members the seriousness of this, as action must now be taken to provide some degree of personal safety.

"People in this room are frightened. The authorities are deeply concerned.

"On one occasion this individual [allegedly] drove his van in the opposite lane into oncoming traffic on the busy Whalley Road – just so he could lean out of the window and shout abuse at Labour members before then abandoning his car in that opposite lane to march over and to physically confront Labour members whilst they were canvassing on a doorstep.

"It does not bear thinking about should the worst have happened to anyone involved.

"There must be a zero tolerance towards personal abuse.

"We’ve seen MPs murdered, stabbed and shot. This now has to stop.

"I would suggest that the leader of the council invites those affected along with the leaders of the Labour Party to find common ground to look at the welfare and safety of staff and those involved in politics and improve standards in public life for the benefit of all."

New leader Conservative leader of Hyndburn Council Marlene Haworth agreed that action needed to be taken to tackle such alleged behaviour which she described as 'abysmal, childish and pathetic'.

She added: "This is an awful, awful situation that we have been put in."