Police have launched an investigation after an Epsom councillor claimed she was roughly barged by the leader of Surrey County Council (SCC) during a peaceful protest.

Labour councillor Sheila Carlson said she was left bruised after the barge by Conservative leader David Hodge outside County Hall in Kingston as he was entering the building on October 21.

Police say they are investigating the assault claim, which may have been captured on CCTV. Surrey County Council has issued a statement but Coun Hodge has not commented.

Speaking to the Epsom Guardian, Coun Carlson said: "He stalked towards us and instead of going around me he came straight towards me and knocked my arm out of the way.

"He said ‘get out of the way’.  He could have walked around us but he chose not to.

"I didn’t know who it was but I was then told it was the SCC leader David Hodge.

"I just don’t think it’s acceptable. You can’t go around hitting people. He had no idea who I was.

Surrey Comet:

Epsom councillor Sheila Carlson with union colleagues at the protest outside County Hall before Coun Hodge arrived

"No matter how stressed the man may be we are entitled to have a peaceful demonstration and it was.

"We weren’t chanting. We were just giving out leaflets as people were coming in and out of the door.

"We weren’t antagonising anyone. I was gobsmacked.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said on Friday: “We can confirm that detectives from Kingston are investigating an allegation of assault that was reported to police on Friday, October 24."

He said enquiries were continuing and that no arrest has been made.

SCC was still working on a statement on Friday at 5pm, after being contacted for a response at lunchtime.

It finally released a one-line statement this morning which simply said: "We have been informed about an alleged incident involving the leader and are looking into it."

First elected to SCC in 2005, David Hodge is a county councillor for Tandridge and represents the division of Warlingham.

He was elected as deputy leader of the council in 2009, and was elected leader of SCC in October 2011, following the departure of his colleague Andrew Povey.

Coun Carlson, who represents Court ward and is a former Epsom mayor, will be standing as the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Epsom and Ewell against Chris Grayling in next May’s General Election. She is also a full-time officer for the GMB union’s southern branch.

Surrey Comet:

Surrey County Council, County Hall, Kingston 

Together with a group of 12 union colleagues, which included three members of the trade union Unison, she was protesting SCC’s proposed closures of six residential care homes in the county and were holding up banners and flags and handing out leaflets to people entering and leaving the building.

Coun Carlson said the group did not block access to the front entrance and received a "very good response from people".

But at 1.30pm she said a man came from a bus stop and ‘marched’ across the car park towards the group.

When he got there he allegedly struck her arm to make her move out of the way, leaving a bruise.

Immediately afterwards she was informed by her colleagues, to her surprise, that the man was the leader of the council - something she said she has subsequently confirmed from photographs of Mr Hodge.

Coun Carlson said the council knew about the protest in advance and that a security guard came out to chat with them before the protest started.

She said that, following Mr Hodge’s arrival, the security guard came out and asked the group to move onto the grass, but they did not see the need to do so.

"We informed them we would be there so the vast majority of councillors had got in early to avoid any confrontation. But the leader decided not to do that," Coun Carlson added.

She said she has witnesses to the incident, including one colleague who said "that was a bit of a bump wasn’t it?".

Coun Carlson has also reported the incident to SCC’s monitoring officer.

In a letter submitted to SCC, she said: "During my many years as a councillor, I have never known an elected member act in this quite outrageous way.

"Mr Hodge was not being threatened by me, or anyone with me, and I view his behaviour towards me constitutes an unwarranted assault.

"I was not blocking his way and he was perfectly capable of walking round me, he made a decision to walk straight at me."

She has requested that SCC hand over CCTV footage of the incident.

The care homes under threat of closure are Brockhurst in Ottershaw, Cobgates in Farnham, Dormers in Caterham, Longfield in Cranleigh, Park Hall in Reigate and Pinehurst in Camberley.

The GMB said a total of 437 jobs will be lost.