Cheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner has praised two local councillors for going public about the abuse and threats they have suffered and warned such behaviour will not be tolerated.

John Dwyer was speaking after Cheshire East councillors Kate Parkinson and Charlotte Leach talked to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) last month about the abuse they had received since taking public office.

Cllr Parkinson, who represents High Legh, said she was grabbed and threatened by a resident while she was campaigning for the 2019 election, because she was a Conservative.

She also told how, when visiting a resident on council business, she was 'chased around the kitchen table by a man who got a little bit excited by the thought of someone younger and blonde as a councillor'.

Cllr Leach, who represents Mobberley, had to involve the police twice in two unrelated incidents – once when she was being stalked on train journeys and another time when she received an early morning obscene phone call.

The Conservative councillor has also been targeted by a troll on Twitter.

Mr Dwyer contacted the LDRS after seeing the story and urged anyone who experienced such behaviour to report it.

"This type of behaviour is deplorable and shouldn't be tolerated by anyone at any time," said the Police and Crime Commissioner.

"At a time when public figures are being abused and trolled online, and after the tragic event a couple of weeks ago in Essex, raising awareness of this issue is paramount.

"Violence and abuse will not be tolerated, and I want to send out a clear message in Cheshire that it will not be accepted.

"I encourage those who have experienced it to come forward, and speak out like the two councillors have done. There is help and support available to assist you through the ordeal."

Cllr Leach told the LDRS at the time: "If this sort of behaviour isn't tackled and we don't speak about it, as embarrassing as it can be at times, it could ultimately embolden people to escalate their behaviour."

Congleton Nub News will contact their Congleton councillor colleagues for comment.

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