A Bradford Tory activist was involved in a row last night over an "offensive" e-mail.

His description of a disabled Labour rival as "the cripple" has led to a rebuke by his own party.

The row came as Tory leader David Cameron visited Keighley yesterday as part of a push to win back Northern voters.

The offensive word was used in an e-mail sent by John Hawkesworth to the Conservative leader of Bradford Council, Kris Hopkins, about the chairman of the city's Labour Party Mark Taylor.

In the message, obtained by BBC2's Newsnight, he said the term was "our un-PC name for Mark Taylor", who is also an assistant to Keighley Labour MP Ann Cryer.

"I would trust that reptile less than a barrel of monkeys, and he's just as wick as said barrelful. He will be up to no good, mark (!) my words", he added.

Councillor Hopkins told the programme that he immediately deleted it from his inbox.

"Mr Hawkesworth was informed it was inappropriate language and told never to use such language," he said.

"He agreed with me that this is not the sort of language that David Cameron would approve of."

John Hawkesworth is the husband of Bradford Tory councillor Anne Hawkesworth, executive member for environment and culture.

A Tory party spokesman said: "Some of the comments in this e-mail are obviously offensive and that is why Kris Hopkins rebuked John Hawkesworth at the time it was sent.

"John Hawkesworth accepted it was inappropriate."

Ann Cryer said a copy of the e-mail, which was dated September 2006, had been pushed through her office door yesterday.

She said: "It is an interesting situation that someone felt they had to let us know about it."

Speaking about John Hawkesworth, she said: "The main thing here is that I cannot understand how someone can think in this way about a fellow human being.

"It is quite disturbing."

Mr Taylor said last night the description of him was "totally unjustified".