A Paisley councillor has hit out at the conduct of her peers amid claims she was called an a*** in the chamber.

Tensions spilled over at a board meeting on Wednesday, as elected members came to blows during a debate on Renfrewshire Council’s environmental work.

And now Labour councillor Karen Kennedy and her dad Eddie Devine are alleging that during the spat SNP Councillor Audrey Doig told the former she “was just an a***”.

Councillor Kennedy wrote to Councillor Doig demanding an apology but the Houston, Crosslee and Linwood member denied the accusations.

In an email, she said: “I am sorry that you misheard me. My reply to you was ‘You are shouting at me now!’ and Councillor [Natalie] Don can verify this.”

Councillor Kennedy has since been critical of the way her colleagues conduct themselves at meetings.

Speaking about the alleged comment, Councillor Kennedy explained: “She just said ‘Och you’re an a***’.

“I asked her for an apology and she emailed back denying it. I don’t really know where to take it.

“It’s nothing unusual. Audrey Doig acts like that at every meeting you’re at. She bangs the table, her face goes red and she makes noise but they all do it.

“It shouldn’t be part and parcel but it is not surprising. Their behaviour is appalling in meetings.”

SNP Council leader Iain Nicolson has refuted the claims on behalf of the administration.

He said: “The SNP group are always considerate and respectful in board meetings. Councillors should respect each other’s opinion even when the opinions are fact free and made up which, unfortunately, is often the case from Councillor Kennedy.

“The public would be far more interested in knowing what the Labour group’s opinion is on one of their members currently suspended for anti-semitic rants than in ‘he said, she said’ tittle tattle.

“Anti-semitism and racism is a far more serious issue. The silence is deafening from the local Labour group and the public could rightly interpret that as condoning the behaviour.”

It’s not the first time Councillor Kennedy has been at the centre of controversy in the chamber.

In late September she was told by maverick Councillor Paul Mack that if she wasn’t in politics “she would be in the holding room of the Jeremy Kyle show”.

Renfrewshire Council’s Labour group had confirmed its intention to report Councillor Mack – who has only recently returned from a seven-month ban – to the Standards Commission.