Police were called to Brent Civic Centre after an eighty-year-old man claimed he was “manhandled” by security guards and needed hospital treatment.

Brent Council is investigating the incident which happened on Monday afternoon at the civic centre, in Engineers Way.

Pensioner Jack Sayers, who lives in Ivy Road, Cricklewood, alleges he was “grabbed” and “squeezed between” four security guards as they escorted him out of the building.

The 80-year-old said he had gone to the centre to enquire about his housing and council tax benefits, which he said had been cut.

He said: “There was a big queue to see the customer services and I was standing with some people.

“Then these big security guards came out and started to grab me and push me.

“They squeezed me in between them and I was bungled out. I collapsed on the floor out of breath with a pain in my chest.”

He called his ex-wife Jane Sayers, who then called the police.

Officers arrived and contacted the London Ambulance Service who took him to Northwick Park Hospital.

Mr Sayers, says he got home at midnight that evening, added: “They did some tests and at first they wouldn’t let me go home but I asked them and they said they would write me a letter. I have bruising on my side.”

Ms Sayers said: “I wasn’t there but when he called me he was in a terrible state. He had gone there to complain about his housing and council tax benefit which has been stopped.

“There was some altercation and the security guards told him to keep calm. They tried to escort him out of the building.”

A police spokeswoman said: “Police were called at approximately 4:02pm on Monday to Brent Civic Centre following a report of an altercation within the premises.

“Officers attended and established that centre staff had spoken to an individual who had become agitated and moved him to a different area of the building.

“After the individual complained of chest pains, officers called an ambulance which attended and took the individual to a local hospital to be checked out.

“There were no offences disclosed, and no arrests,” she confirmed.

A spokeswoman for Brent Council said: “Unfortunately a visitor to our customer services on Monday behaved aggressively and used foul and racially abusive language.

“Our aim is to provide the highest possible level of service to all customers to the Civic Centre, however we will not tolerate abusive and offensive behaviour towards our staff.”

Mr Sayers, however, strongly denied the claims he was racially abusive. The former Conservative councillor for Mapesbury said the accusation was “rubbish”.