A DUP councillor has denied allegations he attended a UDA meeting – insisting the event he attended was a "flute band meeting".
Wesley Irvine attended a meeting of the UDA's 'North Down battalion' at a community hall in Bangor, a loyalist source told BBC's Spotlight programme broadcast on Tuesday night.
It was claimed the meeting was chaired by alleged UDA commander Dee Stitt – a convicted gunman and chief executive of UDA-linked community group Charter NI.
According to the source, it was held about a month before the Westminster election and Mr Irvine handed out DUP leaflets and voter registration forms.
However in a statement to the programme, former North Down mayor Mr Irvine strongly denied the allegations.
He said the meeting he attended was a flute band meeting and the "sole purpose of this was to encourage electoral registration", adding that he did not hand out DUP election material.
"At no point have I ever attended any UDA meeting. There is no place for any paramilitary organisation in our society," the councillor said.
The DUP also told the programme that it "does not support or endorse paramilitary activity of any kind", adding: "There is no place for any paramilitary organisation in our society."
