The mayor and deputy mayor of a Shropshire town council have resigned citing backstabbing and personality clashes between councillors as their reasons for standing down.

The resignations of Shifnal’s mayor, Councillor Les Jones, and deputy mayor, Councillor Stuart West, came during a dramatic meeting of Shifnal Town Council last night.

Councillor Jones began by reading out a letter of resignation from Councillor West who said he was quitting the council as he was fed up with the backstabbing among councillors and how unproductive the council had been in the last two years.

Councillor Jones then announced he was also quitting, before removing his chains of office and walking out of the meeting. He told members he could no longer continue working with them.

He said: “I will be resigning as mayor as of tonight. I was called into the council because it was in the doldrums. I don’t need the hassle so that’s it for me.”

After the meeting, he added: “I have been in local politics for almost 40 years and this has been a very upsetting few months. It’s a massive wrench leaving, it has been part of my life.

“There is backstabbing going on and we tried to get things sorted out but unfortunately things are not going the way they should.”

Following the resignations, members of the council said they were shocked.

Councillor Alison Jackson said: “I’m flabbergasted, shocked really. I didn’t expect it was going to happen and there was a real reaction around the table, no one knew.”

Councillor Beryl Shelton said: “I absolutely didn’t expect it but it’s because of the way the council has been conducting itself in the recent years that personalities have clashed.”