A DUP councillor has left his colleagues "baffled" after quitting the party.
Nathan Anderson, a councillor for Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, has left the DUP to become an independent.
His former party colleagues have expressed surprise and disappointment over his decision.
Mr Anderson is the latest DUP representative to quit the party in recent months.
DUP councillor Jonathan Craig said he was unsure why Mr Anderson has left the party.
He said: "We're all deeply disappointed and annoyed that he has come to that decision because he was a very close friend to all of us, and that has not and will not change. We're all taken aback by it."
He said Mr Anderson, a councillor for Castlereagh South, sent a personal message to all the members of the DUP group about his decision.
"He just made it clear he wanted to stay on friendly terms with us, which would have always been the case," he said.
"I'm just baffled as to why he has taken this step."
He added: "It just came as a shock. I think most of us have tried to talk him out of it, but his mind was made up."
James Tinsley, the DUP group leader on the council, said Mr Anderson made a "personal decision to leave the party" and there has been "no fall-out".
He said: "Certainly we're very sorry to see him go. He has been a great friend for years to us."
"It was his decision to make and it's up to him to tell you and elaborate on, but there's absolutely no fall-out with the group."
He added: "He is a friend and always has been and always will be."
Mr Anderson later issued a statement saying he quit the DUP because it failed to take a firmer stance against abortion.
MLA Alex Easton and several councillors quit the DUP earlier this year following upheaval over the ousting of Arlene Foster as party leader.
Among them was Derry and Strabane councillor Ryan McCready, who later joined the Ulster Unionists.
But two councillors who quit - Newry, Mourne and Down councillors Kathryn Owen and Glyn Hanna - earlier this month returned to the DUP.
The pair said they felt happier in the party under Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's leadership.
