AN investigation has been launched after an election candidate was caught on camera appearing to remove a rival’s leaflet from a post box.

Kevin Ryan, Labour candidate for Shoebury ward, was captured on CCTV appearing to rifle through an outside post box before removing a leaflet which had been delivered by the Independent candidate Nick Ward.

Ian Gilbert, Labour leader, has since suspended all canvassing by the Labour party in Shoebury until the issue is resolved.

The homeowner, who asked not to be named, said: “When we reviewed the footage we were horrified to see someone sorting through and removing a piece of our mail.

“The first thing we thought was that he’d removed a bank statement, which consequently led to us emailing the police and calling all our banks on Saturday morning.

“It turns out this was a political flyer removal but at the end of the day it’s still our mail and he had no right to steel it.”

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Mr Ward, who is standing for re-election in Shoebury ward, said: “The annoying thing is I don’t know how many he removed. It’s just not cricket. If I see a leaflet stuck in someone’s letter box I push it through. No one wants to win like this.

“I’ve had volunteers helping with the leaflets. We had to do the whole road again.

"The homeowners were expecting a bank statement and thought it had been stolen so it was very worrying for them and they had to spend time sorting it out.”

Mr Gilbert said: “I have seen the image on social media and I have referred it to the national party to take action. In the meantime I have asked Labour members not to canvass in Shoebury until the matter is resolved.

“If it happened it is completely unacceptable.”

According to his Labour Party profile, Mr Ryan is a secondary school teacher in Southend.

In 2013 he co-wrote the first ever RE Agreed Syllabus for Southend, used in all schools across the borough.

Mr Ryan was approached for a comment.

Other candidates standing for the Shoebury ward are Granville Stride for the Lib Dems, Colin Campbell for the Conservative and Unionist Party, Fiona Clapperton for the Green Party and Kayleigh Burgess for the Confelicity Party