HE claims he would stand up against housebuilders who threaten to ruin Hampshire’s leafy lanes.

But county council candidate Roger Davey finds himself under fire today after it was revealed he sold part of the garden of his luxurious home to developers for an estimated half a million pounds.

Opponents have branded him a hypocrite and called on voters to judge him on his actions rather than his words.

In 2003 Mr Davey sold the bottom of his back garden in Chilbolton Avenue, Winchester, to developers for a six-figure sum said at the time to be about £500,000.

The land and that of six of his neighbours was then included in the Bath Place development.

However Mr Davey’s current election leaflet states: “I will take a firm stand against all inappropriate development, which ignores local community views, changes the character of the neighbourhood and puts unacceptable pressures on infrastructure.

“Development should not be permitted to destroy an area’s character as has happened on Chilbolton Avenue.”

Such infill development has been highly controversial, especially in Chilbolton Avenue where the character of the leafy boulevard with large detached houses has been whittled away.

Patrick Davies, the Labour candidate, said: “It is the height of hypocrisy for someone to claim to be campaigning to prevent inappropriate development when they made a very large sum of money from developers in their own garden.”

Ray Love, a Lib Dem city councillor in the ward that includes Chilbolton Avenue, said: “It would have been better if the Conservative candidate had discovered he was opposed to inappropriate development, putting pressure on infrastructure and ignoring local views four years ago when he was cashing in, rather than now when he’s running for election.”

Mr Davey has denied the hypocrisy charges saying the land was sold in 2003 before any planning application.

“There is absolutely no hypocrisy or inconsistency in my pledge to fight all inappropriate development. I stand by that. ‘Inappropriate’ is key and they (his critics) appear to have ignored that. There is a vast difference between appropriate and inappropriate development.”

Mr Davey said Bath Place was “discreet and unobtrusive”, so did not alter the character of Chilbolton Avenue.

“There were seven home owners who sold part of their rear garden. We sold in 2003, well before planning permission was granted and well before the mass of developments involving destruction of family houses, which Bath Place avoided and so did not trigger any of that.”

He said: “I am sorry to hear the Lib Dems are now making desperate attempts to save the seat by playing the man and not the ball and making personal attacks.”