A SENIOR councillor has been found guilty of bringing his office into disrepute after he called a member of the public a "f***ing prostitute" during a council meeting.

Steve Walmsley was investigated by the Standards Board for England after the woman made a complaint.

Mr Walmsley, an independent councillor for Stockton Borough Council, was accused of swearing at the woman after she asked him to be quiet during a meeting of Thornaby Town Council last year.

The woman also said he repeated her home address to her in an intimidating manner and passed a note to a colleague with a drawing of a coffin on it with the words "wind her up" written on it.

In its findings, the Standards Board said Mr Walmsley launched a personal attack, which "regardless of strength of feeling, cannot be justified".

However Mr Walmsley, 54, last night dismissed the allegations by the woman, a member of the Labour Party, as nonsense.

He said the complaint was part of a long-term campaign by Labour Party councillors to try to discredit the Thornaby Independents Association (TIA), of which he is the leader.

He said: "We are being hounded, so this is par for the course for us now.

"I have had numerous complaints made against me, but the only people who were asked to give evidence here were Labour members."

Bob Gibson, the Labour leader of the council, denied any such campaign.

He said: "The man has been found guilty, simple as that, and I have a great deal of sympathy for the woman.

"I think Mr Walmsley really has to consider his behaviour and whether it is fit for him to be in elected office."

Mr Walmsley denied insulting the woman, but said he had mentioned her address to her because she did not live in Thornaby and he felt she had no reason to attend the meeting.

The outburst took place last January during a meeting to discuss the sacking of a town council clerk.

It follows a long-running and bitter feud between Labour councillors and the TIA, which is made up predominantly of former Labour party members.

Speaking last night, the woman, who asked not to be named, said: "It has been a horrendous experience and has literally brought me to the edge of a nervous breakdown."

A spokeswoman for the Standards Board said no further action was being taken against Mr Walmsley.