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UKIP have accused trade unions of being behind a string of what they claim are politically motivated attacks including one which saw their Shotton office “daubed” in blood.

The party claims candidates standing across Wales have been threatened and hounded, with a number of posters defaced with swastikas in the run up to the general election.

UKIP claimed trade unions, including Unison and Unite, were behind a “systematic campaign” which has seen candidates harassed, fundraising items burned in the streets and homes torched. They claimed Labour were “intertwined” with the unions and called for Ed Miliband to publicly condemn the actions of activists.

Labour slated the claims as “deluded nonsense”, while Unite refused to comment.

The party claims trade unions were behind an alleged incident in Shotton in February, when their campaign office was “daubed” in blood.

North Wales Police are no longer investigating the incident. UKIP’s candidate for Alyn and Deeside Blair Smillie had cleaned up the potential crime scene before officers arrived.

UKIP are now demanding police forces take a “zero tolerance” approach to this kind of behaviour and “establish a political crimes unit”.

In a statement seen by the Daily Post, UKIP claims radicals threatened to burn a campaign office down with a candidate and her family inside, and fundraising items were burned in the streets during two separate events in South Wales. They blame the unions for many event bookings across Wales being cancelled, saying that pressure has been placed on private businesses from the radical left, and claim trade union members are visiting candidates at their workplaces and warning about the “consequences” to their career.

The statement reads: “We know that the trade unions are behind these activities organised in the name of Stand Up to UKIP.”

A spokesperson for UKIP claimed the party had been wrongly copied into an email between activists and senior trade union members, in which they discuss organising protests and encourage people to take time off work to attend. He even claimed that trade unions have been funding coaches for protesters.

“We are not saying they are behind arson attacks, but that they are behind an organised campaign to disrupt UKIP,” he claimed.

“When you put it all together... We are trying to put it on record that it is getting pretty ugly, it is not going away, it is getting worse.”

A spokesperson for Labour said: “This is yet more deluded nonsense. Yesterday they were denying climate change, today they are alleging arson, harassment and criminal damage. These claims are hugely serious: it is very concerning that UKIP have presented no evidence to back up these allegations. If they have any proof they should go to police not the media.

“With each bizarre turn in the UKIP story it is becoming clearer that they do not and cannot represent working people in Wales.”