MYSTERY surrounds a "hate-filled" leaflet which has been dropping through letterboxes under the cover of darkness.

In the run-up to Barnoldswick's by-election, the leaflet, headed: "Election News - Perverts in Politics" was delivered to homes across the town.

It lists Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors and MPs from around the country who have been convicted of variety of crimes.

However, the first page is reserved only for politicians convicted of child sex offences, with pictures and the message: "They are all perverts and criminals!" in block capitals.

The leaflet, which claims to be from a group calling itself "A plague on all your houses", reads: "With the election upon us you will hear all sorts of stories about criminality in politics.

"A plague on all your houses believe that you should know that they're all at it and just as bad as each other.

"We at A plague on all your houses think it right that people should be warned against ALL political parties - and that includes the vile collection of perverts and crooks that inhabit Labour, LibDem and the Conservatives."

With homophobic undertones, the leaflet also lists details of an MP who was allegedly photographed engaging in gay sex.

However, with few cases in the leaflet having any connections to the local area, the question of why it has been delivered to homes in Barnoldswick remains unclear.

The only point of contact listed on the leaflet is a PO Box address in Essex and the A plague on all your houses group does not appear to have a website or public representative.

Barnoldswick councillor David Whipp claimed that the BNP - the only party taking part in Barnoldswick's by-election not to feature in the leaflet - was behind it. He added that he and his fellow councillors had been contacted by angry residents who had been woken up by people delivering the leaflets in the middle of the night - at 4am in some cases.

Coun Whipp said: "They're issued by the BNP - I've seen their agents delivering them. It's a bogus front for the BNP and their message of hate and division.

"It's ironic because there's a catalogue of criminality within the BNP longer than your arm.

"There's no place for the BNP in Barnoldswick and no place on our council and I hope the people won't fall for them."

But Brian Parker, who is a BNP councillor for Nelson's Marsden ward, denied the accusation.

Coun Parker, who acted as an agent for Barnoldswick's BNP candidate Geoffrey Whitehead in yesterday's (Thursday's) by-election, said that the leaflet had nothing to do with the BNP.

He said: "As far as I know that's a different organisation to ours completely - it's not one of our leaflets."

When asked why BNP councillors convicted of criminal offences did not feature on the leaflets, he pointed out that it also did not feature any Green Party or UKIP members.

However, UKIP and the Green Party did not field any candidates in the by-election.

Several BNP activists in the East Lancashire area have been convicted or accused of serious criminal offences but did not feature on the leaflet.

These include two former Burnley councillors who have convictions for violence and received football banning orders.

And former BNP candidate Robert Cottage, 49, of Talbot Street, Colne, remains in custody awaiting a re-trial on alleged bomb-making charges.