A PLYMOUTH MP has had her access card to a city council building cancelled after it was found in the street.

The pass, which allowed Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton Linda Gilroy to access the Civic Centre, was handed in to The Herald with an anonymous note giving details of where it was found.

Mystery surrounds the disappearance and subsequent discovery of the pass, which Mrs Gilroy said had been faulty for some time.

"It is a bit of a mystery," she said.

"I do not think it is a live pass. It hasn't been working for a long time and I have been meaning to see if I could get it made live."

The pass has since been cancelled so it can no longer be used.

"It has been quite a long time since it gave me access to the Civic Centre and I don't go there as much as I used to," she said.

The defunct pass includes a picture of Mrs Gilroy next to the Plymouth City Council banner.

Written on the back of the plastic pass are the words 'this card must be displayed at all times in any Plymouth City Council Buildings'.

And the pass hangs on a bright blue lanyard adorned with the House of Commons crest.

Sent in the post with the pass was a short note saying 'found on the road around Sutton Harbour'.

Plymouth City Council were tight lipped about the exact areas of the Civic Centre building that Mrs Gilroy would be able to access although they said the pass would not have allowed entrance into high-security areas.

A spokeswoman said: "Access/ID swipe cards are given to all permanent members of staff and a limited number of regular visitors to our buildings. Each pass is pre-programmed to allow different levels of access within different buildings, depending on the individual pass holder's needs. This particular pass allowed general access but could not be used to access any high-security areas."

The spokeswoman added that everyone is expected to wear their ID pass, which includes a photo, at all times when in council buildings.

"When outside the building they are expected to remove and store their pass securely," she said.

"Pass holders must not allow anyone else to use their pass. If someone suspects they have lost their pass or it has been stolen they are asked to contact security immediately to ensure it is cancelled and cannot be used by anyone else."

She added that the council would be talking with Mrs Gilroy about the loss of the pass.