THE British National Party have been accused of "smears, innuendos and half-truths" following last week's local elections.

The claims - vehmently denied by BNP candidate Kevin Edwards - came from Plaid Cymru councillor Sian Thomas, who defeated him by 608 votes to 193 in the Penygroes ward.

Ms Thomas claims: * Several of the people who nominated Mr Edwards had no idea he would be standing under the BNP banner; * She was subjected to "blatant intimidation" by a BNP supporter at the polling station; * And anti-gay literature aimed at her agent, Alun Lewis, has been distributed in the village. One of the people who nominated Mr Edwards told the Guardian he had not been fully aware of the candidate's views.

"I had never even heard of the BNP," he said.

Cllr Thomas said: "This campaign has been filthy. People nominated this man under the impression he was an anti-council tax candidate.

"At the polling station, he sent one of his men in to square up to me. He stood there staring at me from two yards away."

All of her claims are being strongly refuted by Mr Edwards, who maintains some of his proposers have been intimidated.

"We are certainly not responsible for sending any anti-gay leaflets," he said. "I didn't even know her agent was gay.

"For her to say she was intimidated is a pack of lies - the only BNP people at the polling station were myself and my fellow candidate Mike Green.

"What she is saying just shows the depths my opponents are prepared to sink to."