The Information Commissioner is to investigate a council after officials went through the mobile phone records of an elected member, it has been confirmed.

Liverpool City Council officials went through the phone logs of Labour opposition leader Joe Anderson as part of an inquiry into a leak.

The officials are aiming to find out who supplied information to journalists about the spiralling cost of a recent concert by Sir Paul McCartney.

Liverpool City Council apologised to Mr Anderson and referred the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

The council said a “small number” of elected members’ phone logs were searched but none were informed of the plan beforehand.