A politician who called Scousers "scum bags and drug dealers" to another councillor has reportedly resigned his position.
John Phillips, a councillor for Willington Parish Council in Derbyshire, made the comments in an email to fellow councillor, Liverpool-born Paul Cullen.
After a tense exchange between the two, Cllr Philips said: "Hi Paul, I've had a call from the Mega Bus, they're happy to take all sorts of scum bags and drug dealers back to Liverpool tomorrow - if you know any please let them know, I'll pay - this is a public service broadcast."
After backlash from the comments, Mr Cullen told the ECHO that Cllr Phillips had reportedly resigned from his position at Willington Parish Council.
But he said while he felt it was the right decision, it was done for the wrong reasons - and without an apology.
Cllr Cullen told the ECHO: "Although this was absolutely the right thing for him to do, it is somewhat disappointing that he perceives himself as being the victim in this sorry saga, stating that the reason for his resignation was safety concerns for his family following a recent newspaper article.
"There is no suggestion of remorse for his bigoted, discriminatory views of the people of Liverpool and no apology were forthcoming."
It is believed that Mr Phillips made the decision after people from Liverpool, including friends and family of Cllr Cullen, expressed an interest in attending the next parish council meeting to challenge the comments.
Speaking to the ECHO at the time, Everton fan Paul Cullen sad that the comments had caused great offence to him and his father Joe, who is also on Willington Council and who also saw the email.
Cllr Cullen Jr, 50, has tried to raise the issue with the local district council and the police - but has been told the slurs used don't constitute a hate crime.
Cllr Cullen, who has many family members still living in his native Liverpool, explained: "A lot of people I have spoken to - including members of my family - are really upset by what he said and that so far nothing has been done about it."
On the comments themselves, Cllr Cullen, who was born close to the city centre and also lived in Toxteth before moving to Derbyshire with his dad as a child, added: "I love Liverpool, I was born there and have a lot of family still in the Toxteth area - I get to Everton home matches four or five times a season.
"I grew up there in the 80s and it had challenges, but the city now is a remarkable place - it's diverse and cosmopolitan and doesn't deserve these kind of comments."
He had hoped that Derbyshire Police would investigate the matter, but a force spokesman said: “The email that was sent made derogatory comments about people from Liverpool.
"The statement, while unpleasant, is not classed as a hate crime under current legal definitions."
Both Cllr John Philips and Willington Parish Council were contacted for a response.
