WARRINGTON'S Liberal Democrat leader has questioned the 'tactics' used by the 'very well-financed Conservative election machine' in the town in 2014 and 2015.

The claims from Cllr Bob Barr (LD – Lymm North and Thelwall) come after the Electoral Commission concluded its investigation into the Conservative Party's 2015 General Election spending last month.

The party, which spent less than the £19.5 million limit in 2015, has been fined £70,000 following 'significant failures' to report accurately how much it spent on campaigning.

The commission confirmed it only has powers to regulate the party's national spend at a general election.

It added that candidate spending would be a matter for the police to investigate.

Cllr Barr has highlighted the 'tactics' used by the Tories in the town in 2014.

He questioned the use of 'outside activists', as well as the arrival of Warrington South MP David Mowat to the polling station in the area just before the ballot boxes slammed shut.

Cllr Barr said: "The Conservative Party's problem with election expenses come as little surprise to us in Warrington.

"We were aware that we were up against a very well-financed Conservative election machine – both in my local election for the Lymm ward in 2014 and in the General Election in 2015.

"In 2014, we were surprised to find volunteer activists from outside our area knocking up voters on election night and the MP at a polling station at 9pm just before the polls closed.

"This is certainly not usual for a routine ward election in the borough.

"I felt that the Tories were determined to unseat me because I would be a well-known Liberal Democrat scalp.

"They may have been rehearsing tactics for the General Election coming up the next year.

"When the General Election came, the full onslaught of Conservative campaign methods was deployed, apparently regardless of cost, because Warrington South was a key three-way marginal constituency.

"It is not clear how much of this was financed locally, how much nationally and whether the spending was within limits.

"Those are matters for the Electoral Commission and the police.

"However, by 2016, when the Conservatives lost interest in the seat, because they wouldn't need to face a constituency election until 2020, the spending, the activists and the organisation disappeared and the Conservatives only narrowly held their last two seats in the borough.

"Sadly, this shows us that when it comes to elections, money talks."

Mr Mowat has responded to Cllr Barr this week.

He said: "I was indeed at a polling station at 9pm just before the polls closed – that is what we do in elections.

"No one – not even Liberal Democrats – has the right to win elections unopposed."

Cheshire Police confirmed it is not investigating the matter as it has not received any reports related to it.