PETERBOROUGH has lost one of its longest serving council members, a man who, indeed, once served as council leader. But don't have any sympathy for Neville Sanders who, this week, was barred from holding public office for two years.

This is why he got the boot. Some time ago, in a written response to a letter from the chief executive of Carrickfergus Borough Council, asking for support for an independent inquiry into the death of soldier Paul Cochrane, Sanders said, "Members of the Armed Forces DO get killed be it by accident or design: THAT is what they are paid for."

Following this response, Sanders received a phone call from the Belfast Telegraph, asking if he felt his comments would offend.

Sanders is alleged to have replied: "Do you think I give a f**k what Carrick Council thinks? In Peterborough we do not wish to get involved.

"The Troubles in Northern Ireland have been of your own making, there have been enough English soldiers killed in Northern Ireland to fill a f**king domesday book; the f**king Irish should learn to live in peace and bloody well get on with it. We are quite happy for Northern Ireland to f**k off and run its own affairs. If you have a dispute, do not involve us."

When asked if he did not have sympathy with the family of Cochrane, Sanders is alleged to have replied:

"Anyone who commits suicide must have a lot of f**king courage and I would not question that. Tell Carrickfergus that their whole bloody scenario over there has killed a lot of Englishmen. If you don't want to be part of the UK, then f**k off.

I am fed up paying my taxes to cover for lazy bastards in Ireland."

Looks like a good candidate for UKIP in the next British General Election.