A senior councillor has said he was grabbed by the throat and sworn at while delivering his newsletter in the capital this morning.

Shaken Kevin Lang, leader of the Lib Dem group on Edinburgh city council, revealed the alleged attack on social media today.

He wrote on Twitter that "a man came out of his house, grabbed me by the throat" and "stuffed" the newsletter down his shirt while "using all kinds of profanity".

"I’ve been doing politics a long time so I’m used to shouty, angry people but today is the first time I’ve ever been physically assaulted," he tweeted.

"Was simply out delivering my councillor newsletter when a man came out of his house, grabbed me by the throat and stuffed the newsletter down my shirt, using all kinds of profanity as he did so. I’ve obvs reported to the police."

He added: "No matter what divides us, this kind of intimidation and abuse of people you disagree with has no place in a free and democratic society."

Responding to Mr Lang, Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"Completely unacceptable. I’ve spoken with Kevin and this was a politically motivated assault by an SNP supporter. 

"The guy in question can now explain his particular brand of civic and joyous nationalism to Police Scotland."

Tory MSP Murdo Fraser wrote on Twitter: "This is horrible. Hope you are OK @kevin_lang. Politics needs to be better than this."

The incident happened in the Dundas Avenue area of South Queensferry around 11.10am this morning.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of an assault on a man in the Dundas Avenue area of South Queensferry which happened around 11.10am on Sunday, 7 August.

“A 65-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident and enquiries are ongoing.”