DEVON and Cornwall Police and Cornwall Council are both investigating complaints about various General Election campaign issues across the Duchy, with specific attention in the St Ives constituency.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: “We have received a number of emails and calls relating to various issues across the county which are not restricted to any one party. Investigations are ongoing and we cannot comment further.”

“Devon and Cornwall Police has received a number of complaints relating to General Election campaign activities in the St Ives constituency. At this time we are reviewing these complaints and liaising with the Electoral Commission,” added a police spokesperson.

A Liberal Democrat activist in West Cornwall told us that its boards and installations for candidate Andrew George were being attacked, graffitied and stolen.

Allegations have also been made about Reform putting up signs and trailers on Cornwall Council and National Highways land, including roundabouts and road verges.

Reform UK’s Cornwall organiser Rob Parsonage said: “We have a trailer and van with Reform signage, and like the Lib Dem and others ‘battle buses’ it has been parked in different areas of the constituency when working, and in this case, putting up signage.

“The trailer and signage were defaced with red paint. Whoever did it also tried to set it alight, and it was only because the driver came back that a more serious incident was averted. This was reported to the police via their crime reporting portal, and a crime number was obtained.

“I have wanted to clean up the political arena as it has fallen into so much disrepute. It is for this reason I have emphasised to all our PPCs in Cornwall that this is to be a clean and fair fight, NO dirty tricks, NO bickering and NO personal attacks on the other main candidates, so the electorate can make an informed decision.”

Neither the police nor council would comment on activities by representatives of individual parties.

Since the election was called there have been a number of incidents in Cornwall with candidates’ billboards and posters being defaced. Former North Cornwall MP and current Tory candidate Scott Mann saw his posters vandalised in the Wadebridge area on the first day of the Royal Cornwall Show. In the same area, a mysterious thief removed Lib Dem billboards over 30 times.

For a full list of candidates see here.