AN official complaint has been lodged by an East Lancashire county councillor over an alleged swearing incident in a County Hall debate.

County councillor Dorothy Lord has made a complaint to the authority’s standards board after an expletive was said to have been aimed at her six-strong Liberal Democrat group by Conservative leader Coun Geoff Driver during a full council meeting.

Burnley-born Coun Driver was told to apologise to the meeting by chairman Coun Mike Devaney after interventions by West Craven Lib Dem Coun David Whipp.

But Coun Lord (Pendle Central), has said that in 20 years of attending borough and county council meetings she has never witnessed such language and wants further action to be taken.

She said: “He should be suspended if it means he gets the message.

"Everyone was a bit embarrassed, including his own group.”

Another standards complaint is also thought to have been lodged by the Labour group.