It's local election time. The Tories are desperate to take control of Darlington Borough Council so they need as much positive publicity as they can get.

They've pulled off quite a coup today - David Cameron is in Darlington to give a speech. So far, so good.

Last night, we asked for accreditation for a Northern Echo photographer to be allowed in to St Aidan's Academy, where the PM would be making his speech, but we were turned down.

Only one photographer from the Press Association would be allowed in and the pictures would be "pooled".

But we're the local paper for Darlington, we argued. Surely, we'd be allowed in to take our own pictures?

Our photographer Sarah Nicholson turned up at St Aidan's this morning, confident that she'd be let in despite the lack of official accreditation.

No chance, came the reply. Only the Press Association, otherwise every photographer would have to be allowed in.

Er, there weren't any other photographers - just our poor Sarah, locked outside, begging "Let me in, let me in" in a scene reminiscent of The Three Little Pigs (now there's an idea for tomorrow's paper!!!).

This wasn't a case of the paparazzi storming the barricades.

And it wasn't as if it was a tight squeeze. There was plenty of room inside St Aidan's and Sarah's not a big girl.

To be frank, I think it's pathetic. Every now and again, local Conservatives moan about alleged political bias in The Northern Echo and I keep telling them there isn't any.

Here was a golden local publicity opportunity and they can't even organise it so the local paper can take its own pictures.

Oh, I know we'll get perfectly good pictures from the Press Association's excellent snapper John Giles. But that's not the point.

When it comes to PR, Tories are just a disaster area.