County council leader Paul Carter has admitted bringing teams of party workers to Deal and treating them to fish and chips as part of the Conservatives’ campaign against former Labour councillor Dr Mike Eddy.

He says he did it in retaliation for Dr Eddy’s proposal of a vote of no confidence in him as leader a few weeks earlier.

Returning officer Nadeem Aziz is being asked to ensure that the cost of the outings and meals are included in the Tories’ election expenses.

Mr Carter accused Dr Eddy of being "quite provocative" by proposing the no confidence vote, which was over the way the council’s investment in Icelandic banks had been handled.

"For the first time ever they put a motion of no confidence in me as leader and I responded by saying that I will be doing all I can to support the restaurant economy in Deal," said Mr Carter.

He said he took a team of 17 people to Deal on three nights.

"We worked those streets hard and I treated everybody to fish and chips at the end of Deal Pier," he said.

Mr Carter described Dr Eddy's no confidence proposal as "a dirty thing to do".

"It backfired on him and he incurred the wrath of the party machine of the Conservatives in Kent and has paid the result."

Dr Eddy told the Mercury: "This just goes to show how incapable the Conservatives are of accepting responsibility for their poor management of affairs at county hall and just how vicious and spiteful they can be."

Dr Eddy came bottom of the poll in the Deal division at the County Council election. His Labour colleague Terry Birkett was also voted off as Conservatives Julie Rook and Kit Smith took their county council seats.