A FORMER Eastleigh councillor is calling for last Thurday's election in the Eastleigh Central ward to be declared void after he discovered a "scurrilous" poster about him had been pasted in a town centre underpass.

Bill Luffman, who failed to oust former Eastleigh mayor Glynn Davies-Dear by 118 votes, says posters urging people not to vote for him were also mailed to Eastleigh Working Men's Club and two to the Eastleigh Railway Institute.

The offending posters described the Labour stalwart, who had served on the borough council for 12 years, as "fighting for himself," and went on to allege he was a "liar, a cheat, treacherous and king of corruption."

A member of the public went into the Eastleigh Labour Party office on polling day and told Mr Luffman of the flyer in the Romsey Road subway.

He said: "We removed it and I got in touch with the returning officer to report it."

Mr Luffman also reported the matter to the police.

"In all my 14 years of campaigning I have never been involved in anything like this. The allegations are ridiculous and this sort of abuse makes a mockery of the democratic process.

"This is cowardly, despicable, scandalous and scurrilous and aimed at someone who has tried to help the community over a number of years. For anyone who knows me these accusations are laughable," he said.

Mr Luffman says he is sure that more posters than have been reported were mailed and added: "Whoever did this did it with the intention of interfering with the election.

"Candidates should not have to be subjected to this sort of abuse and the only way to stop it is to invalidate any election where this sort of thing takes place."

He said he had been in touch with Eastleigh Council chief executive Chris Tapp and the borough solicitor about the matter.

An Eastleigh Council spokesman said: "The borough solicitor is looking at whether there are grounds to declare the Central Ward election void."

Eastleigh police have also launched an investigation and a spokesman said: "We are currently seeing if there is an infringement of criminal law."

Councillor Glynn Davies Dear said: "I was terribly sad to hear what had happened. That sort of thing should never be tolerated. I hope that whoever was responsible is found and that Bill can put it behind him."

Lib Dems held the seat in Eastleigh Central. The council make-up is: Lib Dems 32, Conservatives nine and Labour three.