A local councillor has been kicked out of his party after a year of "offensive" social media posts.

Cllr Mark Chatfield has had his membership of the Liberal Democrats suspended after a local MP spent over a year campaigning to have complaints made against him upheld.

Alicia Kearns MP even spoke in parliament - where she stated Cllr Chatfield had made 'racist' posts - as no decision had been made on the Oakham North East ward councillor.

'Almost a year ago, I formally reported Rutland Councillor Mark Chatfield to the Liberal Democrats for a year's worth of offensive social media posts, including, I am sorry to say, a racist post against my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Northallerton (Rishi Sunak), comparing him to different shades of toast," she said in the house.

'He has also attacked local journalists, calling for them to be named and shamed, and uses phrases such as "beet-faced Tory expletive" on his social media.

'What do we do when we go through the formal processes that political parties have put in place but they refuse to do anything at all when their councillors are clearly bringing their parties into such disrepute?'

In addition to the social media posts and comments, Ms Kearns claims that Cllr Chatfield used an 'offensive expletive and separately swore about a female councillor while she was speaking,' for which there was no formal action by Rutland County Council.

Following this, Ms Kearns reported the Oakham councillor to the Liberal Democrats via the party's formal complaints process.

Despite claiming it takes an average of six weeks to reply to complaints, almost a year on, the local MP received an email saying the Lib Dems had still not progressed with the complaint.

The Conservative MP's words in the House of Commons about 'civility in public life' came on 18 June, calling out Cllr Chatfield's behaviour and asking why the Liberal Democrats had not acted on her complaints.

Three days later, she posted another statement saying that the Liberal Democrat Standards Office had been in touch and were upholding her complaint.

According to Ms Kearns, 'they agreed that Councillor Chatfield brought their party into disrepute with his comments.'

Subsequently, his membership to the Liberal Democrats was suspended - a decision believed to have been made by the party locally in Rutland.

The Rutland County Council website currently has Cllr Chatfield listed as an independent councillor.

Cllr Mark Chatfield, Leader of Rutland County Council, and Leader of Rutland Liberal Democrats Christine Wise were contacted in relation to this article and did not provide comment.