Flyers being distributed to Tube users warning of plans to split the Northern Line have been branded deliberate scaremongering.

Barnet Council's deputy leader Matthew Offord has been handing out the leaflets at Hendon Central station claiming the line will be split in two, with the Edgware branch going via Charing Cross and the High Barnet branch going via Bank.

But Transport for London (TfL) denies the plans and says there is no funding for such a move.

Labour MP for Hendon, Andrew Dismore, said: "Mr Offord has put out these leaflets saying the line is going to be split, but that is categorically not true.

"First, it is not in the Tubelines infrastructure contract, and second, it would be impossible to do because it would need £70 million to renovate the Camden Town platforms, which would need a complete rebuild.

It is just a scare story with no foundation. He is simply trying to discredit the Mayor of London and the Northern Line."

The flyer, distributed last month, states: "Do you believe that Northern Line commuters put up with some of the worst services in London?

"Do you feel timetables can't be trusted, journeys frequently delayed and carriages are all too often overcrowded? Mayor Ken Livingstone's Transport for London have recently announced plans to split the Northern Line into two, with the Edgware branch exclusively going via Charing Cross and the High Barnet branch going exclusively via Bank.

"Do you think this is a good idea?"

But Transport for London (TfL) said there were "absolutely no plans" to split the line.

A TfL spokesman said: "At the moment, Camden Tube Station cannot cope with being a major interchange as it would need major remodelling.

"Regarding segregation, there are therefore absolutely no plans. No decision has been made and there is no funding in the current investment programme."

Answering a question from Brian Coleman, Conservative London Assembly member for Barnet, in Mayor's Question Time last October, Mr Livingstone claimed that separation could deliver "substantial benefits" in terms of reduced crowding, but said this "could not be done before 2015, at the earliest".

Mr Offord said he had distributed the leaflet as part of his campaign to try to quash any prospect of the Tube line being divided.

He said: "Livingstone has refused to rule out splitting the Northern Line at Camden. Until he does I will campaign against it.

"Segregating the service will cause misery for those of us who use the Northern Line each day. It's time these proposals came to the end of the line."