Conservative election chiefs feared that a visit by Boris Johnson during the 2015 general election would be carnage, a court heard.

The visit was arranged by party officials during the often acrimonious campaign, when Ukip leader Nigel Farage was seeking to become MP for South Thanet.

Mr Johnson’s visit to Thanet came at the height of the campaign battle and party officials were concerned that while he was a popular figure, the event would lead to a "media scrum."

Marion Little is one of three defendants facing charges over election expenses during the campaign for South Thanet in 2015.

Yesterday she denied has denied she deliberately omitted expenses for hotel accommodation on the party’s returns.

The court heard that in an email concerning the visit, she had told colleagues: “It is likely to be the usual carnage and I might need a gin and tonic tonight.”

Asked what she meant by her defence counsel, she said “any Boris visit usually ends in a media scrum” and added that “Ukip spoilers” had travelled down to Margate to disrupt the visit.

In the event, his visit was regarded as a success, with extensive media coverage.

The court was provided with a glimpse of internal tensions between national party chiefs and the local constituency association over the campaign strategy.

In emails submitted in evidence, a row broke out over a suggestion for an interactive digital map highlighting how Nigel Farage was rarely in the constituency, to be called “Where’s Nigel” - a reference to the popular children’s “Where’s Wally” books.

But the then association chairman Tony Salter questioned the idea.

In an email, he wrote: “This is all very interesting but can we focus on some of the basics?”

The email said that the party should be focusing on winning back those voters who had been identified as hostile to the party.

“They are rather more crucial to the campaign than any “Where's Nigel" digital map,” the email said.

That drew a response from Nick Timothy, the former aide to Theresa May, who replied in an email: “Is he always like that?”

Marion Little, who was the Conservative election campaign co-ordinator, again told a court that she did not omit the costs of party leaflets and hotel accommodation from election expenses returns to avoid breaking spending limits.

On her third day of giving evidence, she repeatedly denied that she left out certain costs to keep within the limits.

She was asked about e-mail exchanges which revealed that she had prepared a draft of the election returns for the short campaign.

Asked by defence counsel if the fact that she had drawn up the returns effectively made her the election agent, she replied: “No.”

Mackinlay denies two counts of "knowingly making a false declaration on an election expenses return", contrary to the Representation of the People Act.

Gray denies one count of knowingly using a false instrument "namely in respect of the election expenses return for the long campaign period".

He also denies "knowingly making a false declaration on an election expenses return".

Little denies three counts of "intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence" in relation to the expenses returns.

The trial continues.