Sacked Lewes mayor Graham Mayhew has accused a council of running a hate campaign against him.

The beleaguered councillor has been told he can no longer stand as an independent on the northern area planning committee when Lewes District Council is reorganised next week.

It was the last position on a committee he held after first being sacked as mayor by the town council, then expelled by the Liberal Democrats and then removed as chairman of the environment review board.

Dr Mayhew claimed the Lib Dems, who have a majority at the council, had a personal vendetta against him.

He said: "It is obvious an attempt is being made to isolate me and render me totally ineffective as a member of the district council.

"One would have thought, since planning is supposed to be non-political, that one seat might have been available for me on planning, particularly as there are 14 places on it which are supposed to be filled from the northern area."

But Ann de Vecchi, Lib Dem leader of the council, insisted the decision not to offer Dr Mayhew a place on the committee was not personal.

She said places were allocated by political groups and there were enough candidates.

Dr Mayhew was told he was not needed to stay on as mayor last year after a row concerning his management of a project to turn cellars beneath the town hall into public art galleries.