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Ukip have been forced to postpone campaign events today after their battle bus was damaged.

Paul Nuttall's big purple bus was brought to a standstill after party staffers woke up to find it "mysteriously" missing a wing mirror.

The leader unveiled the bus, emblazoned with a massive picture of his face, last week and today was to be the first day he used it personally.

The bus was scheduled to visit Dagenham and Clacton, but those events will now be delayed until tomorrow.

(Image: Getty Images Europe) (Image: Getty Images Europe)

It's thought the damage happened overnight, while it was parked in Salford after the ITV Debate.

Nuttall was embarrassed during the debate, when he repeatedly forgot Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood's name, addressing her twice as "Natalie."

At the end of the debate, all four other panelists snubbed the Ukip leader, failing to shake his hand.

This morning, Paul Oakley, the party's candidate in Clacton revealed the news on Twitter: "Now hear this! The UKIP battle bus has been mysteriously damaged overnight so will now be in Clacton at the weekend and not today."

Asked whether he thought the damage had been caused deliberately, he told Sky News: "I have no idea, I wasn't there."