THE Mayoress of Burnley Pat Chadwick was today at the centre of a "dirty tricks" election row amid claims that a bogus Conservative candidate had been put up to run against her.

Today Mrs Chadwick's Independent Group said it would lodge an official complaint and call for an inquiry by police and council election officers after claiming Labour was trying to fix the election in Queensgate.

Labour today said the fact that 27-year-old mum Tracy Sutcliffe was standing had nothing to do with them -- and described the claims as nonsense.

Mrs Chadwick, beaten by a whisker by Labour at last year's council elections, is confident of taking the Queensgate seat from Mohammed Najib after the Tories decided not to contest next month's poll -- giving her a clear run at the Labour candidate.

But members of her Independent Group were amazed to find an "Independent Conservative" Mrs Sutcliffe, registered as a candidate -- and claimed the move had been engineered to split the vote and hand victory to the Labour candidate.

Independent agent Harry Brooks said it was a clear attempt to repeat the situation last year when the official Conservative candidate polled more than 100 votes -- resulting in defeat for Mrs Chadwick, who lost by just 13 votes.

"The Independent Conservative candidate does not live in the area, has never fought an election in her life -- it stinks."

Coun Najib said: "I have never heard of this woman and neither the Labour Party or I have put her up to stand -- in fact she is more likely to take votes away from me."

Coun Najib said Mrs Sutcliffe's supporters were people who had had disputes with him in the past and were certainly not trying to help him.

"This is the sort of allegation you can expect from the Independents -- but I will still win the election."

When the Lancashire Evening Telegraph called Mrs Sutcliffe's home across town in Hufling Lane, she came to the phone and answered questions about herself.

But on questions concerning the elections, she repeated answers clearly given by a man listening in on the conversation.

It was, she said, her first election and she was standing because of her interest in the community.

She said she was an Independent candidate and when it was pointed out she was officially standing as an Independent Conservative, she agreed that was correct but declined, on instruction, to comment on why she was a Conservative.

Her aim, she said, was to stop the Labour Party, with which she had no connection.

When asked who was prompting her, she replied it was a friend.

Conservative leaders say they have neither heard of Mrs Greenwood, nor has she any known connection with the party.

Labour agent Carole Galbraith dismissed the Independent claims and added: "Unlike opposition parties in Burnley, we do not enter into pacts with other groups, nor do we indulge in dirty tricks."

Burnley council senior election officer Tom Forshaw said Tracy Sutcliffe's nomination papers were properly submitted.

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