A former lord mayor has been suspended from his Conservative Party association for allegedly baking a hot cross bun with a swastika on it.

The action was taken against Lee Mason, a councillor on Portsmouth City Council, after a photo emerged of the buns which also featured the word “sex” and an expletive.

The Cosham ward councillor told the Portsmouth News that he admitted making the buns adorned with the words and another with a Scottish National Party logo.

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But he said he had not created one with a swastika symbol and suggested the photograph had been digitally manipulated.

He told the newspaper: “I have not baked a bun with a Nazi symbol. You can see from the picture that is not a Nazi symbol.

“I baked some cakes, yes, but I haven’t done a Nazi symbol on any of them. And there’s no Nazi symbols there.”

Supporters of the councillor have suggested the symbol was actually the original Hindu symbol that was then changed before being adopted by the Nazi party.

A spokeswoman on behalf of Portsmouth North Conservative Association said: “Cllr Lee Mason has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation.”

Mr Mason has been approached for comment.