GET THE BIGGEST STORIES FROM ACROSS SOMERSET STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX SIGN UP Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Liberal Democrats claim their opponents are trying to “distort the election” after four campaign signs opposite Conservative incumbent Jacob Rees-Mogg’s house were pulled down.

The Tories condemned the vandalism and theft - acts they said were commonplace - but the Lib Dems said it was beyond the normal cut and thrust of pre-election politics.

Other parties have not reported widespread damage to their signs but said it was a “real shame that some people are resorting to such tactics”.

A Lib Dem spokesman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service his party had around 250 signs up across Bath and North East Somerset, adding: “Across the two constituencies about 20 boards have been stolen or destroyed and 30 have been vandalised.

“The theft of four boards directly opposite Mr Rees-Mogg’s manor house took place in broad daylight on Monday (December 2). The householder’s stone wall was also damaged.

“It looks like our opponents are rattled by our campaign to beat Mr Rees-Mogg.

“Sadly this sort of childish vandalism happens in most campaigns but the scale of this series of attacks is way beyond normal.

“It’s not just petty crime, it looks like a concerted attempt to distort the election.”

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman confirmed the case had been looked into and had been filed, pending further information being made available.

Anyone with information should contact the police and quote crime reference number 5219278542.

Representing Mr Rees-Mogg, a spokesman for the North East Somerset Conservatives, said: “We are strongly against defacing, damaging or removing political posters.

“A significant number of our Conservative posters have been taken down or defaced.”

A spokesman for the party in Bath, where Annabel Tall is standing, added: “We have our signs stolen all the time. Every election we have to replace our signs pretty much throughout the election.

“Some are defaced, mostly it’s just theft. It’s been going on since I was a small boy. It’s part of being a Conservative.

“We just accept it’s part of the experience. We certainly don’t go around damaging anyone else’s.”

Mark Huband, Labour’s candidate in North East Somerset, said he was not aware of any damage to his signs.

He said if the Lib Dems were picking up votes from anyone it was from the Conservatives.

A Bath Labour spokesman said some of Mike Davies’ boards had been removed but it was unclear if it was politically motivated or drunken behaviour.

Fay Whitfield, the Green candidate for North East Somerset, was unaware of damage to any of her signs, as was independent Bath candidate Bill Blockhead, who said: “I have erected no signs and so have no damage to report.

“It’s a real shame that some people are resorting to such tactics.

“Some people are extremely politically angry, especially true these days. Other people appear to get a kick out of vandalism.”

Also standing in North East Somerset is independent candidate Shaun Hughes.

Jimi Ogunnusi will be representing the Brexit Party in Bath.

The Lib Dem candidate for Bath is Wera Hobhouse, while Nick Coates is standing in North East Somerset.

Want more news?

To subscribe to our daily newsletter, enter your email address into the box at the top of this story.

To keep up to date with our latest news, follow us on Facebook and Twitter .

Find our Bath Facebook page here or Somerset's can be found here .

Alternatively, follow us on Twitter - @BathLive and @SomersetLive .