Labour have released a leaked Liberal Democrat document urging candidates at next week's local election to be "wicked" in their campaigning.

"Oppose all service cuts. No cut is going to be popular and why court with the unpopularity that goes with the responsibility of power. You are NOT running the council. It's not your problem, it's theirs," reads the document.

Labour Party chairman Charles Clarke said: "The Liberal Democrats want to be all things to all people. That is not a programme for serious local government and I hope local voters will see through them."

Liberal Democrat chairman Mark Oaten claimed that the move showed "Labour are running scared of the Lib Dems on May 2".