A Western Isles councillor expelled by the SNP has accused his erstwhile comrades of breaking the law on political campaigning.

Angus Nicolson, the party's leader on Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), was told in an e-mail from the SNP's national secretary that he had invalidated his membership of the SNP by suggesting on his blog that he could stand as an independent in the council elections.

Mr Nicolson yesterday accused his former colleagues of breaching the Data Protection Act.

He said: "It's over two years since the Data Protection Act registration with the Information Commissioner lapsed. I repeatedly advised the MP and the branch to comply with the law, but they still haven't. That makes all the e-mails that have been sent a breach of the law."

A search of the register yesterday failed to find an entry under Western Isles SNP or SNP Western Isles, nor did it find the SNP among those entries with a Stornoway address or indeed a Western Isles address.

An SNP spokesperson said: the "This is baseless tittle tattle from a disappointed individual. The allegations are baseless as well as trivial."