THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS have been forced to make a formal apology after using a highly offensive obscene term to describe an opposition councillor in a campaigning leaflet.

Mebyon Kernow councillor Stuart Cullimore said he was "absolutely appalled" at being the subject of foul-mouthed abuse in an official Lib-Dem leaflet ahead of Thursday's county council and Euro elections.

The leaflet, calling Coun Cullimore a "greasy-haired t***", was distributed to houses in the Camborne South division on behalf of Lib-Dem Cornwall Council candidate Anna Pascoe, who said "foul play" is suspected.

The gaffe comes hot on the heels of last month's public apology by the Lib-Dems over misleading voters in the Westcountry over claims made in leaflets distributed in Devon and Somerset.

The Lib-Dem agent officially responsible for the Camborne leaflet says he is as "shocked and outraged" as everyone else and can offer no explanation for the obscenity other than the possibility that it was "a prank that backfired".

Coun Cullimore, who is currently a member of Camborne Town Council, is standing for Cornwall Council as the Mebyon Kernow candidate in the constituency. He said: "I'm absolutely appalled – it's just unpleasant and nasty. It has been extremely upsetting for me and my family. I don't know who is responsible for this but the Lib-Dems have a responsibility to find out and make it public."

Coun Cullimore said the abuse would only worsen the reputation of politicians which is suffering enough in the current expenses row.

"This sort of behaviour drags us all into disrepute," he said. "Personal mud-slinging has no place in modern politics."

The councillor said he will be considering legal action over the matter but is concentrating on the election at the moment.

Coun Dick Cole, leader of Mebyon Kernow, said: "The leaflet describes Stuart Cullimore as greasy-haired and then uses a totally unacceptable swearword.

"Politics and politicians are not popular with people at the moment and we should be doing everything we can to reassure people. Such activities should have no place in the political process and must be stamped out as a matter of urgency."

The presence of the offensive remarks came to light on Saturday when Camborne residents contacted the Lib-Dem campaign office to complain about them.

The leaflet is thought to have been distributed to about 40 houses in Basset Street and Basset Road.

Ms Pascoe, 27, said yesterday: "Somehow the leaflet was distributed in a very small area. We're launching a full investigation into what happened."

Ms Pascoe was elected two years ago as a councillor for the Camborne North ward on Kerrier District Council, one of six district councils in Cornwall that was abolished to make way for the new unitary authority in April.

"I want to make it clear that I did not make this comment," she said. "Basically I would be signing my own death warrant. It leads me to believe that some sort of foul play has gone on."

Joe Taylor is the Liberal Democrat agent who accepts responsibility for material published in the campaign. He said: "I'm still looking into what happened and we're launching a full investigation.

"You have hundreds of people coming in and out of an election office all the time. Someone has clearly added in this sentence about Stuart Cullimore and printed it but I do not know how that has happened – I'm as shocked and outraged as everyone else."

Mr Taylor said he thought it was unlikely that there had been any conspiracy involved to put out the offensive leaflet in an effort to discredit the Lib-Dem candidate. "I think it's more likely to be some kind of a prank that backfired," he said.

Mr Taylor wrote a letter to Coun Cullimore in which he said: "As agent for the Liberal Democrats in Camborne and Redruth I take full responsibility for this matter, and would like, once again, to reiterate my sincere apologies to you and your family."

Mr Taylor said he has made every effort to recover the offensive leaflets and is delivering a letter of apology to the houses affected.

He said the Lib-Dems had set out to conduct a positive campaign based on work carried out by candidates in the local area.

This latest scandal follows last month's apology from the Lib-Dems to the Western Morning News after the party admitted misleading voters in the Westcountry in the run-up to the European Elections, also to be held on Thursday. Promotional material distributed by party workers across the region included a quote attributed to the WMN, warning readers not to vote Conservative, but to back the Lib-Dems at the polls on June 4. But none of the Lib-Dem newsletters and leaflets carrying the quote reported that it came from a bylined column by freelance writer on European affairs, Kate Ironside. Instead, the party used the Western Morning News' logo above the quote to strongly suggest the "vote Lib-Dem message" was the view of the newspaper itself. WMN staff were made aware of the misleading claims when several readers got in touch to ask if the newspaper had abandoned its 150-year tradition of remaining strictly impartial at elections. Other candidates standing in Camborne South in Thursday's election are Jacqueline Harding for the Labour Party, John Herd for the Conservatives and John Woodward as an Independent.