A TOWN councillor at the centre of a gay hate probe after branding homosexuals as perverts has resigned.

The Standards Board for England launched an investigation into 27-year-old Trowbridge councillor , after he labelled homosexuality an anti-Christian practice on a par with bestiality and paedophilia, in a letter to the Wiltshire Times.

In his resignation letter, delivered to town council offices on Monday, Cllr Biddulph said he was moving to Wales after losing his house and job.

News of his resignation was met with welcome relief in many quarters, with one councillor saying he was "well shot of".

Cllr Biddulph resigned from the Liberal Democrat party in November after we revealed his views, but vowed to continue serving on the council.

Cllr Steve Squires, head of the Trowbridge branch of the Liberal Democrat party, said Mr Biddulph had caused offence by voicing his controversial opinions.

He said: "The impression I have got is people were not very happy with his extremely bigoted views. As far as I am concerned, given the ex-councillor's opinions, he is well shot of."

Cllr Jeff Osborn said: "Apart from one very unfortunate incident he made no impression on local life. There is no way he should have said what he did."

Trowbridge mayor Glyn Bridges called the comments "unfortunate".

"We are not here as councillors to cause offence, we are here to be constructive," he said. Gary Jefferson, of Gay Men's Health Wiltshire and Swindon, said gay-hate comments could be seen to sanction homophobic assaults.

"When a letter is written in this way, homophobic people feel they are justified in their actions because someone in authority feels it is ok," he said.

"You would hope the Standards Board for England would now take homophobic comments as seriously as racism."

Mr Biddulph was left unemployed after his temporary job at Bowyers ended at Christmas. His house in Newtown had also been put up for sale.

A former member of Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru, he has returned to his former home in Powys.

His resignation will spark a by-election in the town's College ward.