A disagreement over a simple planning application could lead to a councillor being thrown off a North Wiltshire District Council committee.

The move follows a war of words between two Corsham councillors at a meeting last week.

Roy Jackson and Peter Davis were at the meeting last Wednesday, where they traded insults before Coun Jackson stormed out of the building.

Now Coun Davis, who chairs North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee, is to ask council leader David Packham to remove Coun Jackson from the committee because of his behaviour.

The trouble started over a debate about an application to turn a studio and hobbies room in Grove Road, Corsham, into a single dwelling, and ended with Coun Jackson walking out of the meeting early.

Coun Jackson proposed the application be refused and was seconded by Coun Ron MacGregor.

There was subsequently a second proposal to view the property before making any final decisions.

But Coun Jackson didn't hear the second motion being seconded and said he was not happy.

Coun Davis, who was chairing the meeting told Coun Jackson he was a bad loser.

Coun Jackson replied: "Well I think you're a bloody hopeless chair."

Coun Jackson added: "It's about time you started running this meeting properly."

At this point Coun Davis asked council leader David Packham, who was sitting in on the meeting, to make an official note of what had gone on.

"Can I please ask the leader to make a note of the kind of statements I am having to put up with while chairing this meeting?"

The following day Coun Jackson, who was awarded the MBE last year, admitted he might have gone over the top in his comments. "Maybe I got a bit carried away.

"Planning and me don't agree and I can't get my head round it.

"But if there are grey areas with planning applications then we should be listening to local people's views.

"I wasn't aware there was a proposal for a viewing and Peter Davis didn't make it very clear from the chair.

"But I was a bit naughty perhaps in having a go at him."

But Coun Davis said he would not stand for such behaviour and would be asking Coun Packham to remove him from the committee.

"I'm afraid he is one of those councillors who is not prepared to accept a majority decision if it doesn't go along with his way of thinking and I shall be recommending he no longer sits on my committee.

"I am not prepared to be talked to by Coun Jackson or any other councillor in that manner."

Mr Davies said he would be sending an e-mail to Coun Packham this week.

"The officers were upset, other members were upset and it disrupted the whole meeting," he said.

He said he would stay as chair in the event that Coun Jackson was not removed from the committee.

Coun Packham said that any decision to remove a councillor would not rest with him.

He said: "It would be a decision for the councillors to make. If you were to ask me if I am going to be removing any members then the answer would be 'no'. It would not be a matter for me."