CALLS have been made for the mayor of Bridport to resign following comments she made on social media following the Brexit vote.

Residents have set up a petition calling for Cllr Ros Kayes to stand down, six weeks after taking on the role, after her comments which many deemed offensive .

Cllr Kayes has apologised for any offence caused by the post – which related to the EU referendum result – but claimed her account was hacked and her privacy settings changed.

She removed the post as soon as she realised it could be seen publicly and said she has reported the matter to police and to Facebook.

Bronwen Dickenson has launched an online petition, calling for Cllr Kayes to step down for the “disgusting and shameful” comments.

Ms Dickenson said: “The role of mayor is not a position to be taken lightly.

“This is a position of trust, and honest leadership.

“Creating good relationships, and harmony within a community is the very bedrock their role is based on.

“It is disgusting and shameful that any mayor could think like that, let alone write it.

“No one is questioning our mayor’s sterling work as a councillor.

“She is hard working and dedicated. Her position as mayor however is an entirely different matter.”

Cllr Kayes, who also represents Bridport on the county council and district council, said: “It was my private opinion at 7am.

“It certainly wasn’t said in my capacity as mayor. It isn’t necessarily what I felt, but I was upset.”

Cllr Kayes runs two Facebook accounts, one in her official capacity and another with private settings, which can only be seen by close friends and family.

She added: “People have a right to a private life, even when they are politicians.

“I am really sorry if it has caused anyone offence but I was privately expressing my opinion in the heat of the moment for a private audience.

“My account was hacked and the settings changed so a private message could be seen publicly.

“I believe this was done with the intention of causing me damage.”

Cllr Dave Rickard, who sits on the town council and district council, said: “It was a private message which was accidentally published.

“You can’t get through life without upsetting a few people – it’s the price we pay for freedom of speech.”

Cllr Martin Ray added: “I don’t think she should step down. She’s doing a very good job as mayor.”

Harry Coutts, 17, from West Bay, said: “While I do congratulate Ms. Kayes on her mayorship, it does not give her the mandate to belittle and downplay genuine concerns of the Eurosceptic people of the country. I speak as a young leave supporter that we are not all old people, we are not all racists., we are not all bigots so I find it disgusting that public figures in our community are alluding to this being the case.”

Another petition in support of Ros Kayes was started on Wednesday and now has 300 signatures on it.