A press conference called by Fgura mayor Anthony DeGiovanni and council over Tuesday`s incidents yesterday degenerated into a verbal confrontation between the mayor and councillor Mark Lombardo.

On Tuesday, the police escorted Mr Lombardo out of the council room from a meeting during which a serious difference over a motion arose between Mr DeGiovanni and Mr Lombardo, a Nationalist councillor.

The Fgura council is made up of a Labour majority of six councillors, including mayor DeGiovanni, and three Nationalist councillors.

The police commissioner has ordered an investigation into the intervention taken by the police.

Yesterday afternoon, Mr Degiovanni said he had filed an affidavit about how Tuesday`s meeting had developed, and he went on to give his version of events.

He refused to give a copy of the affidavit to the councillors who requested a copy.

Mr DeGiovanni was continuously interrupted by Mr Lombardo, who said that during the council`s next meeting on Monday he would insist that the minutes of Tuesday`s meeting be corrected.

Mr DeGiovanni defended his decision to call in the police, citing the standing orders in the Local Councils Act which state that none of the council members could ignore orders given by the mayor or behave badly.

He said that according to the standing orders if, in the opinion of the mayor, a member breached that order, a motion could be passed so that that member would stop speaking or be made to leave the meeting.

Mr DeGiovanni added that if these orders were not obeyed, the mayor could suspend the meeting or take other measures as necessary.