DISTRICT councillor for Dulverton and Brushford Mike Gammon has left the Independent group and joined the Conservatives on West Somerset District Council.

He said he had no other choice but to switch to the biggest political group after the treatment of Conservative and deputy council leader Colin Hill at the last full council meeting.

Mr Hill was subjected to a barrage of questions from members of the Independent and Labour groups, who claimed he should pay back two months' allowance for being deputy leader when he was only formally elected to the position last month.

Mr Gammon said: "I don't mind an argument but not a personal attack like that. Who has been doing the job of deputy leader since May if he wasn't doing it? The poor man was totally innocent. To watch the Independents voting to get the money back was sickening."

Mr Gammon stressed that he had no political flag to fly, but was hoping that his move to the Blue camp would give him more power to help his constituents.

He said: "I've never really thought about the politics - I am there firstly to help the residents of Dulverton and Brushford and secondly for the residents of West Somerset. In order to help those people I think I will have more support by moving to the other side."

He added: "I got elected to get things done, and I now feel I will achieve more for them by joining the Conservatives, who are being positive and behaving sensibly unlike too many of the rest."