RIVAL councillors said they planned to make a formal complaint to the elections office this morning after Labour campaign posters were put up in Burnley and Cliviger.

Liberal Democrat councillors complained that the flyposting move was 'a dirty trick' and called for action to be taken.

Mozaquir Ali, a Lib Dem councillor for the Daneshouse with Stoneyholme ward, raised the alarm after spotting the posters in Burnley's Colne Road and Yorkshire Street and in parts of Cliviger.

He said the Labour Party have gained an unfair advantage with this stunt.

Coun Ali added: "It seems as though they were put up on Friday night on purpose because there is nothing we can do about it over the weekend because the election office is closed on a Saturday and Sunday.

"So in a way their dirty trick has worked because people will have been noticing the posters all weekend.

"It's completely unfair of the Labour Party to do something like this. It's actually illegal to flypost election leaflets in this way so I hope that it will be taken seriously and something will be done about it."

Labour's Peter Kenyon said the party knew nothing about the leaflets until a complaint was made to them.

The Queensgate ward councillor said: "We have received a complaint about this but we have no idea who has been putting them up.

"We are currently making arrangements for the relevant posters to be taken down. They were posted without any authority.

" It's not illegal in terms of election law. The problem is that the owner of the property where these posters have been placed has to be paid out of election expenses which has not been authorised."

A spokesman for Burnley Council said: "We did receive complaints about this issue which was taken up with the election agent.

"We believe these posters have now been removed so no action will be taken.

"We would like to point out that it's council policy not to allow posters of any nature to be put up without prior permission."

RIVAL councillors said they planned to make a formal complaint to the elections office this morning after Labour campaign posters were put up in Burnley and Cliviger.

Liberal Democrat councillors complained that the flyposting move was 'a dirty trick' and called for action to be taken.

Mozaquir Ali, a Lib Dem councillor for the Daneshouse with Stoneyholme ward, raised the alarm after spotting the posters in Burnley's Colne Road and Yorkshire Street and in parts of Cliviger.

He said the Labour Party have gained an unfair advantage with this stunt.

Coun Ali added: "It seems as though they were put up on Friday night on purpose because there is nothing we can do about it over the weekend because the election office is closed on a Saturday and Sunday.

"So in a way their dirty trick has worked because people will have been noticing the posters all weekend.

"It's completely unfair of the Labour Party to do something like this. It's actually illegal to flypost election leaflets in this way so I hope that it will be taken seriously and something will be done about it."

Labour's Peter Kenyon said the party knew nothing about the leaflets until a complaint was made to them.

The Queensgate ward councillor said: "We have received a complaint about this but we have no idea who has been putting them up.

"We are currently making arrangements for the relevant posters to be taken down. They were posted without any authority.

" It's not illegal in terms of election law. The problem is that the owner of the property where these posters have been placed has to be paid out of election expenses which has not been authorised."

A spokesman for Burnley Council said: "We did receive complaints about this issue which was taken up with the election agent.

"We believe these posters have now been removed so no action will be taken.

"We would like to point out that it's council policy not to allow posters of any nature to be put up without prior permission."