A BRIGHTLINGSEA resident claims an election smear campaign against him increased his share of the vote.

Hundreds of posters pinned up around the town depicted Colin Olivier with the headline “Do You know? Who is Colin Olivier?”

Mr Olivier stood in recent district and town polls. The posters blamed him for the sale of Springmead House, in Ladysmith Avenue, which was left to the town by Captain Arthur Wenlock when he died in 1927.

The house was managed by the Springmead Trust. Mr Olivier was its chairman before it was sold in 2007, despite a fierce backlash from residents and a 2,500-signature petition.

Mr Olivier said: “The posters were put up by a group opposed to what I did at Springmead. We came to the conclusion the best thing was to sell the house and generate income.

“But that didn’t go down too well with some, who felt we should keep our heritage.”

Mr Olivier stood down from the town council four years ago. But he decided to stand again and won a seat.

In the election for the district council, he came sixth of eight candidiates.

He added: “I think the posters were a pathetic attempt by a group who saw me as a villain.

“I was astonished. I didn’t think Brightlingsea was a place for poison pen letters. I’d like to thank them because I think it might have contributed to my election to the town council and my district council vote, which was up 20 per cent on the last elections.”