Reform UK has been forced to pull a campaign leaflet from circulation after complaints it “breached” electoral rules.

The tract had been posted through doors in the Folkestone area until a member of the public spotted the party had printed the Kent County Council (KCC) logo on one of the pages.

When it came to the attention of the Labour Party, the matter was referred to the legal team at KCC.

KCC has been approached for comment.

Labour candidate for Folkestone East, KCC Cllr Jackie Meade, said another councillor was told by a resident the leaflet had been delivered directly to her home.

Cllr Meade added: "She asked him why KCC was endorsing Reform UK because the logo is slap bang on the leaflet.

"That's the whole point of 'purdah' because you cannot use anything to do with the council on literature."

Purdah is a pre-election period of "heightened sensitivity" when council resources cannot be used in political campaigning, according to the House of Commons Library.

Labour group leader at KCC, Alister Brady, who is standing in Canterbury city north, said: "We want to fight a clean election campaign for the community without having misrepresentation in the literature. This is a blatant breach of the rules.

“Reform should withdraw the leaflets immediately and if there are others in Kent they should be withdrawn immediately, too.”

A returning officer in Kent, who asked not to be named, said: "They (Reform) are clearly in breach and the fact they have pulled the leaflet suggests that they know they are in the wrong."

Reform UK declined to comment.

But a party source said the leaflet had not gone through the official approval process and “action” is being taken against those responsible.

The source added: “The leaflet has got the logo on it and that is not acceptable and I can see why KCC are not happy about it.

“Leaflets get approved centrally to make sure they follow the strict specifications. As far as I am aware, this hadn’t gone through the approval process.”