VETERAN Lyme town councillor Stan Williams has been thrown off the authority for six months.

The ban has been imposed by the Standards Board for England after an adjudication panel found him guilty of failing to treat a member of public with respect and not declaring an interest at meetings.

Coun Williams, 70, who has been a councillor for 36 years, was said to have breached the codes of conduct that govern councillors' behaviour.

The tribunal ruled that Coun Williams had brought the council into disrepute when he verbally abused Marine Theatre assistant manager Jacky Hedley-Tuffs in a row about a parking space.

It was also found he had breached the code on several occasions by not declaring an interest and withdrawing from debates.

Among the allegations were complaints by former town clerk and town councillor Nick Cornwell and town councillor Lorna Jenkin.

The tribunal heard there was no love lost between Stan Williams and Mr Cornwell, who brought many of the complaints against him.

Anita Williams, who represented her father at the hearing, said there was a long history between the two men which went back to Mr Cornwell's previous position as town clerk. He resigned from that post while Coun Williams was mayor in 1998.

After the hearing Coun Williams said he would continue to serve as a councillor once he had completed his period of disqualification.

"I'm not a quitter," he added.

Comments at the tribunal have led to questions about the conduct of councillors when dealing with issues when they are active in many aspects of town life.

Town clerk Mike Lewis said that if any member now felt they needed more training then they would get in touch with the Dorset Association of Town and Parish Councils to arrange this.

Deputy monitoring officer Susan Mauger, of West Dorset District Council, which advises on standards in the district, said: "The district council is happy to provide training on the code of conduct to any parish or town council which requests it.

"Following the recent decision by the Standards Board for England adjudication panel, the district council has been contacted by the clerk to Lyme Regis Town Council to discuss training.

"Any councillor who has breached their code of conduct is at risk of having a complaint made against them to the Standards Board for England."

No mention of the tribunal finding or ban was made at the meeting of Lyme Regis Town Council on Wednesday, where Coun Williams attended as normal. The ban does not come into force until May 21.