A councillor has condemned anti-vaccine leaflets distributed in his ward as "disgraceful and disgusting."

The leaflets were pushed through letterboxes in Charlton Street in Maidstone yesterday evening by a middle-aged couple.

Cllr Paul Harper (Lab), who represents Fant Ward, said: "These leaflets are very professionally produced. They look official.

"When I first saw it, I thought it must be from the government."

The leaflets condemn the rollout of vaccines to children, saying the evidence was "largely flawed" and warns "the potential side effects are still unknown."

But Cllr Harper said: "With the surge in Omicron transmissions, we all have a civic duty to do what we can to limit the spread."

He said: "Scaremongering like this, especially near Christmas is just reprehensible."

Julia Batt was one of the Charlton Street residents to receive a leaflet. She said: "This sort of nonsense needs stamping out…. People will read this and assume it’s a government sponsored leaflet - I did at first.

"This will just worry people and perhaps stop them getting a jab for their kids."

Mrs Batt's own 14-year-old son has been vaccinated.

It has emerged that the week before, the same leaflet was posted through letterboxes in Hazlitt Drive in Maidstone.

Resident Sue Young said: "They were posted by two men, quietly after dark."

The government advice is that children aged over 12 should receive the vaccine, with a second dose either eight or 12 weeks later depending on their level of risk.

Publicly distributed leaflets are supposed by law to carry the name and address of the publisher and the printer. These leaflets do not have that information.

Cllr Harper said: "That they are anonymous speaks volumes. If people have opinions they seek to impose on others, they should be prepared to stand up and be challenged on them."