Vital information about an asbestos scare at an Oxford tower block was deliberately kept secret from residents and councillors, it has been claimed.

An Oxford city councillor suppressed the discovery of asbestos at Foresters Tower in Headington, according to Labour group leader, Cllr Alex Hollingsworth.

Mr Hollingsworth told the council last night that he had discovered the scandal during an inquiry that he carried out at the request of Labour colleagues.

He said: "It appears quite clear to me that the flow of information was interrupted by a city councillor who intervened on several occasions to prevent ward councillors and Val Smith, the Labour spokesman for the housing committee, finding out about particular developments on this issue."

He said he would not reveal the identity of the councillor until he had doubled-checked his facts, but said that he believed that protocols - the rules councillors must abide by - had been broken.

Mr Hollingsworth urged councillors to abide by the rules and called for all members to have equal access to information following the asbestos scare.

Last month, it emerged that contract work at Foresters Tower in Headington could have exposed asbestos dust during work at 37 flats.

Tests later revealed that there was no evidence that residents had been placed in any danger.

Residents were not told about the potential problem until almost a week after it was discovered by Cllr David Connett, chairman of the city council's housing committee.

Mr Connett said residents were not told immediately because he did not want to cause unnecessary alarm before he had all the facts.