THE Anti-Crime Party candidate himself earned a ticking off from police yesterday when he tried to campaign outside a supermarket.

Party founder, secretary and Sedgefield candidate Norman Scarth had travelled from Bradford to campaign outside Tesco, in Newton Aycliffe.

Mr Scarth said he asked the manager for permission to campaign outside the store, and then found that police were on their way.

"The policeman who came was very nice and asked me to get in the car with him otherwise he said he would have to put the handcuffs on me," said Mr Scarth.

Mr Scarth, 81, served in the Second World War on the Arctic Russian Convoy, and cites politicians, lawyers and the police as some of the country's biggest criminals.

"Everything we fought against is here now in Britain, hidden by the pretence of democracy and the pretence of the rule of law," he said.

A police spokesman said: "The police were contacted by staff at Tesco's shortly after half-past ten.

"They asked for assistance in removing a man from the front of the store they considered to be causing a nuisance to shoppers.

"An officer went to the scene and talked to the man, a candidate in the forthcoming by-election.

"He was given suitable advice and agreed to leave the area and continue his campaigning in Ferryhill. He had not committed any offence and at no stage was he arrested."