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The Mayor of Preston has issued a public apology for wearing a Lib-Dem badge while attending official engagements.

Coun Neil Darby admitted breaching rules which dictate the first citizen must be non-political and said it had been "an oversight."

He said "sorry" before a meeting of the council and explained he had since stopped wearing the badge, which was a present from party colleagues on his installation..

In a statement Coun Darby, who is deputy leader of the Lib-Dem group on Preston Council, said: "As a ward councillor for Ingol and Cottam, I make a point of talking to my constituents on the doorstep regularly to check on local issues they may want me to act on as their councillor.

Coun Darby at his mayoral installation with his Mayoress Coun Pauline Brown and Mayor's Consort Dan Leung (Image: Michael Porter Photography).

"I continue to be a city councillor whilst Mayor and I take that job as seriously as the mayoral one.

"When I go out in my ward, I usually wear a badge to identify myself. I was given a gift after my installation as mayor which instead had ‘mayor’ instead of ‘councillor’ - and I had worn that.

"I hadn't considered that it may have been misunderstood as politicising the mayor's position and as soon as it was raised with me I apologised and stopped wearing it.

"As the current Mayor of Preston, I realise that it is a non-political role and wearing the badge was an oversight on my part.

The Lib-Dem Mayor's badge which Coun Darby apologised for wearing when out meeting constituents.

"At the next meeting of full council I took the opportunity on my own initiative to explain and apologise to the council."

At 34 Coun Darby became the youngest Mayor of Preston for 170 years when he was installed in May.

Preston Mayor says ‘sorry’ for wearing wrong badge of office at official engagements