NICK Clegg and Theresa May have become embroiled in an unseemly row with the Deputy Prime Minister launching a stinging attack on the Home Secretary for claiming he had put children at risk by blocking the so-called snoopers' charter.

The allegation, which came during Mrs May's speech at this week's Conservative Party conference, was branded "outrageous" by the Liberal Democrat leader, who said it represented a "new low in Coalition relations". He demanded an apology.

But the bickering continued when a Home Office source laughed off Mr Clegg's demand, reportedly saying: "Nick Clegg is a w******."

In response, a LibDem source - on the eve of the party's own autumn conference in Glasgow - hit back, saying: "Making deeply misleading claims about public safety and resorting to playground insults when challenged is a disappointing way for politics to be conducted.

"Let's deal in facts."

The spat, coming just months from the General Election, is perhaps the clearest sign yet that, psychologically at least, the Tories and the LibDems are decoupling themselves ahead of the May 7 poll.

In her keynote speech, the Secretary of State said she had proposed the snoopers' charter because the inability of police and intelligence services to monitor internet and phone use was creating a "crisis in national security".

She claimed the National Crime Agency had been forced to drop at least 20 cases because of missing communications data, including 13 "threat-to-life cases" involving children.

Accusing the LibDems of being "outrageously irresponsible" for torpedoing the legislation, Mrs May made clear a future Conservative government would introduce the measures.

But on his regular London radio phone-in, the DPM accused his Conservative Cabinet colleague of appalling behaviour, suggesting she was the one putting children at risk.