CHARITIES have criticised a council for using offensive terms such as "lunatics" and "idiots" in election guidelines.

According to the notes for candidates issued by Bournemouth Borough Council "lunatics and idiots" were disqualified from standing as councillors along with "deaf and dumb persons".

Executive officer of Dorset Mind Timon Hughes-Davies said: "The terms lunatic and idiot are highly offensive and should not really be used. For the council to say they are quoting an Act is no excuse.

"The days of someone being branded a lunatic and carted off to an asylum for life are long gone.

"No one has used the term lunatic' for the last 50 years."

According to the charity Hearing Concern the term "deaf and dumb" should not be used either.

Fiona King from the charity said: "In the old, unenlightened days, people thought that because you were deaf, you couldn't speak.

"When deaf people tried to speak without training, their voices sounded strange and so they were labelled dumb.

"The phrase deaf and dumb' is a no-no because dumb now means dim and as they say, we are deaf, not daft."

Councillors are also unhappy about the terminology.

Cllr Ron Whittaker said: "People do often think that councillors are idiots but I have never seen it in print before.

"As for the deaf and dumb comment, that is blatant discrimination against disabled people."

Cllr David Clutterbuck said: "I find it offensive. Disqualifying deaf and dumb people is discrimination of the worst kind."

Following enquiries from the Daily Echo, the council has now amended the document.

The deputy returning officer Matthew Pitcher said that the terms were included in error because they are legal terms.

He said people defined in law as "lunatics and idiots" or "deaf and dumb" could still apply to be councillors.