ANOTHER Burnley Labour councillor has quit the council - at the height of the local election campaign.

Padiham member Granville Lord said today he had been the subject of a witch-hunt by party bosses and has left the party in protest.

He said he was also standing down as a councillor in Hapton with Park ward, sparking a council by-election which he said he may fight as an Independent.

The move is a blow for Labour which has lost three councillors and one senior party member to the Independents in little over a year.

Fourteen months ago Coun Harry Brooks was the only Independent member on Burnley council.

Now, following disruption in Labour ranks after the housing allocation inquiry row, the Independents hold five seats and are fighting nine at next month's municipal polls.

Coun Lord, who has informed the town hall of his decision to quit, claimed he had been persecuted by senior local party officers over an allegation that he had not paid his party subscriptions. - a move which saw him suspended from the ruling Labour Group meetings.

Regional bosses say the subs issue was a mistake and the suspension would be lifted.

But local Labour group secretary Peter Kenyon said he had checked records in London and it was right to suspend the Padiham stalwart. Coun Lord said: "If the people of Padiham want me to continue my community work, I will fight the seat as an Independent."

The Burnley college security supervisor explained: "Although I am not due for re-election to the council until May 2000, I did not think it right I should cross the floor of the council.

"The honourable thing was to resign and I have done that."

"I was gutted about it, but there were clearly people in the party who were determine to have me out."

No Labour comment was available.

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