POLICE have intervened after a contender for the SNP's deputy leadership received a deluge of sectarian abuse.

Chris McEleny, a councillor who became the first declared candidate to become Nicola Sturgeon's number two, was offered advice by officers concerned at the online Facebook attacks.

Examples include Mr McEleny being labelled an "IRA scumbag" while another internet user wrote "SNP.. Supports Natzi [sic] provos." Other comments are too explicit to be repeated.

The leader of the SNP group on Inverclyde Council said he hoped to raise awareness by speaking out. He said: "People often say you need to have a thick skin in politics but that sort of rhetoric deserves to be left in the past.

Read more: Sturgeon to examine options for Scotland to remain in the UK and the EU

"Sectarian abuse and vile name calling isn't something that upsets me that much as you learn to expect it, I just don't like it when my family see it. I think that it does tell you that there are still obvious barriers to people from certain backgrounds putting themselves forward in politics that we need to overcome."

Police Scotland confirmed that it is aware of the abuse and that officers have spoken with Mr McEleny, who was also targeted last year after he suggested on Twitter he believed Rangers are a new club. A spokesman for the force said: "We have not received any complaint, however, we can confirm that advice and guidance was given."

Meanwhile, Edinburgh MP Tommy Sheppard has become the fourth candidate to enter the SNP's deputy leadership race, alongside Mr McEleny, Westminster group leader Angus Robertson and MEP Alyn Smith.

Mr Sheppard, a comedy club boss and relative newcomer to the party after joining in 2014, launched his bid in Edinburgh last night and said he had been overwhelmed by levels of support since revealing he would stand over the weekend.

Read more: Sturgeon to examine options for Scotland to remain in the UK and the EU

He said: "This is not a contest between the old and the new, it's not about the differences between the members who have been in the SNP for decades and the new members who have been in a couple of years. In fact, my entire pitch is to argue that we need to synthesise them together to form a new contemporary political hybrid which embraces the campaign for independence with the cause of social and economic justice."

He added that Mr Robertson, seen as the frontrunner for the position, is doing an "exemplary" job as Westminster but added: "We're not so short of able people to do the jobs that we require some people to double up."

The deputy leadership contest was sparked when Stewart Hosie announced he would be stepping down following revelations that he had cheated on his wife, SNP health secretary Shona Robison, with a Westminster journalist. The deadline for candidates to step forward is early next month with a new deputy leader to be elected by members and announced at the party's conference in the Autumn.