A councillor suspended by Reform UK over 'unacceptable' online comments has resigned from one of her seats.

Cllr Lynn Dean has stood down as the councillor for Knutton on Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, just weeks before she was due to face re-election.

But she remains an independent Staffordshire county councillor for May Bank and Wolstanton.

Cllr Dean had the whip suspended by Reform following allegations she posted racist comments about black people and muslims on X prior to her election.

County council leader Martin Murray said she had been suspended after making 'unacceptable' comments on a social media account that was not disclosed during her vetting process.

Cllr Dean became the latest Reform member at the county council to be embroiled in a racism scandal after anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate uncovered the offensive tweets.

All of the tweets on the account have since been deleted.

Cllr Dean was elected borough councillor for Knutton in a by-election last year, held on the same day as the county council elections.

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All 44 seats on Newcastle Borough Council are due to be contested in the local elections on May 7.

The Knutton seat will now remain vacant until the election.

A council spokesperson said: "Lynn Dean has informed us of her resignation as an Independent councillor at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

The vacant Knutton seat is set to be contested as part of the council's all-out elections on Thursday, 7 May."

Cllr Dean has been approached for comment.

Header image via Staffordshire County Council/Rod Grealish via Geograph