Councillor Susan McGill

A Stirling councillor who sent a ‘saucy’ Christmas present to the authority’s senior official was this week accused of unacceptable conduct.

Trossachs and Teith Tory Jeremy McDonald gave interim chief executive Carol Beattie two bottles of ‘Carol brand’ sauce, one red and the other brown.

A colleague said Councillor McDonald was “trying to be funny” and had apologised but SNP councillor Susan McGill said there should be zero tolerance of sexual harassment in the workplace.

A council insider said the incident occurred in the run-up to the festive season, and added: “In the week before Christmas, Carol invited elected members for a glass of wine and Councillor McDonald approached her beforehand and said ‘I have left a saucy present for you in your office’.

“When she opened it, it turned out to be a bottle of red sauce and a bottle of brown sauce.

“It was a bit creepy and in my view inappropriate. There is innuendo there and I can see that it might have been upsetting for Carol.”

Conservative Group leader Neil Benny was aware of the incident and told the Observer: “Jeremy had been working with Carol on different programmes and he saw some sauce that was ‘Carol’ brand and decided to

This is not the sort of behaviour any woman should have to face, never mind at her place of work