Powys council’s Labour group leader Matthew Dorrance has apologised for swearing during a webcast of last week’s heated budget debate.

However he says he only swore in a private conversation at a point during the debate when the meeting had been adjourned.

Cllr Dorrance was pictured on the webcast appearing to shout f*** off across the chamber but it is not clear who his language is directed at.

Yscir councillor Iain McIntosh had previously called for Cllr Dorrance to apologise to Powys council chairman David Meredith (Labour – St David Within) as he believed the Labour St John Ward councillor had sworn at the chair.

Another story suggested Cllr Dorrance had sworn at Cllr McIntosh.

In an attempt to clear up the confusion Cllr Dorrance has made a statement on the Brecon & Radnor Express Facebook page. He insists however that although he swore at a colleague it was during a private conversation that happened to be picked up during the webcast.

He adds that he has already "apologised unreservedly" to his Labour colleagues and to the councillor he was talking to.

Last Thursday’s full council meeting, which ran for six hours, saw Powys’s Independent/Conservative ruling group beaten in three key votes - one of which was decided by the casting vote of the chairman. Eventually all attempts to pass the budget were abandoned and it was agreed the council would come back on Thursday, March 7 to look at the budget again.

Since then talks have been held between council leader Rosemarie Harris and council group leaders to find a way forward.

Cllr Dorrance’s full statement, which hits out at the people who have circulated a home-made video of the webcast, reads as follows: "Apologies for the delay in responding to this thread but I’ve been in County Hall for meetings about the Budget crisis and Social Care Services.

"I do think an explanation is owed to people.

"I was contacted by journalists who advised me that Cllr Iain McIntosh had contacted them with his complaint. The journalists told me that they had been informed I had variously sworn at Cllr McIntosh and the Chairman of Powys Council. I want to make it absolutely clear that I didn’t swear at either Cllr McIntosh or the Chairman, who’s a party colleague and personal friend.

"I have reviewed the footage, which somehow appeared on a new YouTube channel called ‘News from Powys’ (which doesn’t contain any other content). The footage shows the Chairman adjourning the meeting and Councillors leaving the Chamber.

"After the Council adjourned, the webcasting camera and microphone system, which had been recording the Chairman, switched to me and picked up a private conversation I was having with a colleague who was sat in front of me. I was not aware of this.

"I did not swear during the Council meeting. From the footage it does look like I used the F-word after the meeting had adjourned, although the rest of the recording isn’t clear.

"I apologise unreservedly. I have already apologised to colleagues and to the Councillor to whom I was talking.

"I take full responsibility for my actions and while I am happy to discuss this with residents of St John ward, I won’t be responding further tonight - it’s the 20th anniversary of my brother’s death and I obviously want to spend time with my family."