Coronavirus: Luton councillors 'sorry' for lockdown breach

Waheed Akbar, Asif Masood and Tahir Malik have apologised for their lockdown breach

Three councillors in a town with a spike in coronavirus cases have apologised for breaking lockdown rules.

Luton's Labour mayor Tahir Malik, and councillors Asif Masood and Waheed Akbar attended a large gathering, social media pictures showed.

It comes after Luton was designated an "area of intervention" by Public Health England (PHE) through a rise in cases.

The trio said they were "sorry that we did not live up to the standards that are rightly expected of us".

The council and the Labour Party have both said they are investigating.

Town residents have been told lockdown measures that were set to be eased this weekend - such as the re-opening of gyms and leisure centres - will not be lifted yet.

The council has also urged residents in certain postcode areas to get tested for coronavirus.

A testing site was set up at Downside Primary School in Luton after residents were urged to get screened

In a statement, the three councillors said they attended "what we believed was going to be a small socially-distanced gathering, in line with the government guidelines".

"During the course of the event, the arrival of additional guests meant the rules were breached.

"We should have left immediately, and it is a matter of sincere regret for each of us that we did not do so."

'Action will be taken'

Luton Borough Council said that it had received complaints "concerning the alleged conduct of three councillors".

"We take all such complaints extremely seriously and an investigation into their alleged behaviour will be started and a decision arrived at," it said.

A spokesperson for Labour East Regional said it was "essential that everybody follows social distancing measures in order to protect the public from Covid-19".

"It is even more important for those in positions of authority to be setting the right example," they added.

"The Labour Party investigates all complaints received and where rules have been breached, action will be taken in line with the Labour Party's rules."