A Conservative councillor has been suspended from the party after a racist e-mail was sent from her account that instructed foreigners to “P*** off — we’re full”.

Ellenor Bland, who stood as a parliamentary candidate in last year’s election, was reported to race relations watchdogs by Liberal Democrats who branded the message as offensive and deeply unpleasant.

The e-mail, sent from Ms Bland’s address, included a poem about Pakistani immigrants coming to Britain to claim benefits, along with a cartoon of the white cliffs of Dover bearing the offensive phrase. The text, entitled Illegal Immigrants Poem, describes how a migrant comes to Britain “poor and broke” and makes money by claiming welfare benefits before inviting friends from his home country to join him. They take over the area after white neighbours move out.

Ms Bland, who represents the Conservatives on Calne Town Council in Wiltshire, denied sending the message. But she admitted knowing the contents of the poem and said no offence could be caused by it, calling the reaction political correctness gone mad.

Ms Bland, who runs a clothes shop in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, lives in the village of Quemerford and has been a Calne town councillor since 2003. She said that the e-mail had been sent by her husband. “I haven’t sent anything that I’m accused of sending. Someone else did. My e-mail address is something that’s used by my husband, too. It’s not my personal e-mail account.”

She added: “From what I remember of it, it was a very light-hearted poem. We have Asian friends and we work well together and all accept each other’s different ways.”

A senior Conservative said that Ms Bland had been suspended from the Tories’ election candidate list and from the party pending an investigation into the allegations surrounding the e-mail.

A spokesman said: “The Conservative Party disassociates itself entirely from the sentiments in this poem. Ellenor Bland has been suspended from the candidates’ list and from the party pending a full investigation.”

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat chairman of campaigns and communications, said: “It is totally unacceptable for elected representatives to be distributing this kind of material. Racism has absolutely no place in British politics and I am asking the CRE to advise on what further action can be taken. If David Cameron wants to retain any credibility he must immediately take the strongest action against the person responsible.”

The poem had also appeared on the website of Boris Johnson, the Conservatives’ higher education spokesman. But the MP said that it had been posted on a message board by a visitor to his site and that he had no idea that it was there. “It’s an utterly dreadful poem and I condemn it unreservedly,” he said. “I had absolutely no knowledge it was on my website.”

POEM EXTRACT

I cross ocean poor and broke
Take bus, see employment folk.
Nice man treat me good in there.
Say I need to see welfare.
Welfare say, “You come no more,
We send cash right to your door.”
Write to your friends in motherland.
Tell them, “Come fast as you can.”
They come in turbans and Ford trucks.
I buy big house with welfare bucks!
Britain crazy! They pay all year,
To keep welfare running here.
We think UK darn good place.
Too darn good for the white man race!
If they no like us, they can scram.
Got lots of room in Pakistan!

Times Recommends

• Should Knox’s trial even have reached the courtroom?
• All that glitters is not sold in Wright’s world
• Believe it or not, Big Brother is your friend