A UKIP councillor has resigned his seat on Southend Council.

Lee Burling, one of five Ukip members elected in May last year, has confirmed he is giving up his St Laurence ward seat, triggering a by-election.

It will be held on May 7, the same day as the general election and other borough council polls.

Mr Burling confirmed to the Echo he had resigned, but declined to comment further.

James Moyies, a former Ukip councillor who has been expelled by the party, said: “We have been proud to have Lee as part of Ukip in the past year.

“He has done some good work for his constituents and we are disappointed he has made this decision.”

Mr Moyies was thrown out by Nigel Farage, after excluding another councillor, Ukip’s Parliamentary candidate, Floyd Waterworth, from the Ukip council group.

Mr Moyies, and Ukip councillors Tino Callaghan, Mr Burling, and Lawrence Davies, all voted to remove Mr Waterworth from their group on Southend Council.

The bitter row between Mr Moyies and Mr Waterworth dates back to Mr Waterworth’s selection as the anti-EU party’s Parliamentary candidate for Rochford and Southend East.

At the weekend, Mr Moyies said he planned to vote for Tory MP James Duddridge, not Mr Waterworth.

The official Ukip candidate then called on Mr Moyies to resign his West Shoebury council seat, but Mr Moyies remains defiant.

When asked about Mr Burling’s resignation, Mr Waterworth said he had only occasionally met former St Laurence councillor, usually at full council meetings He added: “It’s always sad to see a Ukip councillor go and we wish him well.”

The news means St Laurence ward will have two new councillors after the May vote.

Last year, Tory Adam Jones, whose seat was up for re-election next month, announced he would not stand for another term.

Whoever wins Mr Burling’s former seat will, however, only sit for the remainder of what would have been term, so will be a councillor for three years.