AN election row has broken out over a candidate’s text and social media posts.

The Labour leader of Pendle Council’s coalition administration Mohammed Iqbal made an official complaint about the messages sent out by Mohammad Aslam, his Conservative opponent in Nelson’s Bradley ward.

Pendle returning officer Philip Mousdale referred it to the police for further investigation.

The police decided to take ‘no further action’ leaving the three main parties locked in a bitter war of words.

Conservative group leader Cllr Paul White accused Labour of wasting police time and holding a vendetta against Mr Aslam

Cllr Iqbal defended his actions while Liberal Democrat group leader Tony Greaves branded Nelson politics ‘a cesspit’.

The messages from Mr Aslam, a Nelson town councillor who defected from Labour to the Conservatives in October 2015, advertised free university study courses in Saudi Arabia along with free accommodation and visa arrangements.

Cllr Iqbal said: “These messages and mass texts appeared to be an inducement to vote for Mr Aslam.

“They went out after he had been officially nominated as the candidate and in my opinion could have broken election law by indirectly offering incentives to vote for a particular candidate.”

Pendle Council is currently run by a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition with 24 councillor between them against 23 Conservatives with one Independent and a retiring BNP councillor.

The local elections on May 3 could see control of the bitterly-contested borough change hands.

Cllr White, speaking for Mr Islam, said: “This is an absolute waste of police time.

“At almost every single election the Labour Party report us to the police simply so they can run a story that we are under investigation.

“It is part of their attempt to crush anyone who dares to challenge them in Nelson and to scare people who dare to speak out against them.

“The Labour Party have had a vendetta against Mr Aslam since he left the Labour Party and joined the Conservatives

“From what I gather, Mr Aslam has a contact who runs education programmes abroad and this particular one is not full.

“He has been asked to spread the word about it and offered to pass details of those who are interested on to his contact.

“That in absolutely no way breaks the law.

“It is not related to the election in any way whatsoever.

“It is pure politicking.”

Cllr Iqbal said: “To say this is vendetta is absolute rubbish. Electoral law should be upheld and if it has possibly been broken there should be an investigation.”

Cllr Greaves said: “Our party is not standing in Nelson because the town’s politics is a cesspit.”

Cllr White and Cllr Iqbal both said the Lib Dem's reason for not standing in Nelson was because they could not find candidates.”

A police spokesman said: “We received a complaint alleging electoral offences in Pendle.

"Following enquiries, no further action will take place.”

A Pendle Council spokeswoman confirmed it had referred the complaint to the police ‘to investigate’.