The row over 'dishonest' statements continued at tonight's (Wednesday) full council meeting of North Norfolk District Council.

The Conservatives are continuing with threats to sue the Liberal Democrats in an increasingly-bitter Waterside ward by-election campaign.

Helen Eales, leader of the Conservative-led district council, said she would take legal action for defamation unless she received a full apology for alleged 'dishonest' statements in a leaflet circulated by Lib Dem candidate Paul Williams.

Mrs Eales said she was named in the leaflet which claimed the Conservative administration had spent more than �2,000 of taxpayers' money on recent media training for senior councillors. She said the actual cost was �923.

But the Lib Dems have counter-attacked, accusing Mrs Eales of using the legal action threat to suppress information about public spending.

At tonight's full council meeting Mrs Eales asked chief executive Sheila Oxtoby if the salaries of the three NNDC staff, who attended the training session, were included in the budget.

Mrs Oxtoby said there was a staff training budget and that staff overheads were not allocated.

'The staff salaries are not taken into the cost of this training,' she added.

Graham Jones, chairman of the North Norfolk Lib Dems, said the cost should be added and criticised the time spent on the training.

The by-election takes place on Thursday April 26.