CONSERVATIVES have launched an investigation into the behaviour of party members after the leader of the Liberal Democrat party was mobbed during a chaotic political visit to Worcestershire.

Nick Clegg was cheered and jeered by hundreds of people during his short stop at the Nag’s Head in Malvern before he was confronted by an angry chairman of West Worcestershire Conservatives, Dr Ken Pollock.

An e-mail calling on Conservative supporters to disrupt Saturday’s event by posing as “aggravated residents” had previously been sent out by a young activist.

While your Worcester News has seen a copy of the e-mail sent by 19-year-old Hannah Campbell - a Conservative party member until her subscription lapsed in April and former chairman of the Worcester Conservative Future group - it is not known who it was sent to.

As a result of the e-mail and Dr Pollock’s behaviour Roy Veal, president of West Worcestershire Conservative Association, said yesterday: “An internal investigation will be carried out to look at the events of the last 48 hours and we will act on its findings.”

Hundreds of people, young and old, turned out for Mr Clegg who was in Malvern on Saturday to support his party’s West Worcestershire candidate Richard Burt.

Supporters waved “I agree with Nick” signs, tried to shake his hand or get his signature while others heckled.

Mr Clegg gave a short stump speech before taking questions from members of the public on the environment, defence contracts, and Europe.

At one point Mr Clegg was heckled by George Wilesmith, aged 27, who challenged him over prison sentencing by shouting: "Should life mean life?".

Mr Clegg told him to "pipe down" because he was in the middle of answering another question but spoke to Mr Wilesmith before leaving.

However, that was only after Mr Clegg had been ushered away by aides and police officers after Dr Pollock, who is also a county councillor, was said to have “lunged” at the Liberal Democrat leader in a bid to confront him about the content of an election leaflet distributed locally.

Dr Pollock, who said he was “manhandled” out of the way by police officers, said he had wanted to talk to Mr Clegg about claims that the Conservative candidate for West Worcestershire, Harriett Baldwin, had been “parachuted in” and was not involved in the community.

Dr Pollock said they were “lies” but Mr Burt has since said he is sticking by what is in the letter.

Mr Burt said Dr Pollock “just lost the plot” when he “lunged” at Mr Clegg and added he was “shocked and appalled” to hear about the contents of the leaked e-mail.

In that Miss Campbell said it was “vitally important that we have a strong presence” at the event.

“However, we must appear to be aggravated residents NOT Conservative Party members and core Harriett supporters!”

Mrs Baldwin has sought to distance herself from that e-mail while claims Worcester’s Conservative candidate Robin Walker and his agent Matt Edmonds had received it were denied by the pair yesterday.

Nobody was arrested during Saturday’s event.