Mayor convicted of drink driving stands down

A town mayor who was convicted of hitting a cyclist while more than twice the legal alcohol limit has chosen to stand down from the role.

Ryan Davies, 44, who was the mayor of Clun in Shropshire, was fined and disqualified from driving after admitting drink driving in November.

In a statement on social media he did not mention the incident, but said the role had taken a toll on his personal and professional life.

He said he was standing down with a "heavy heart", but would continue to support the local community.

Police said the cyclist received minor injuries and a blood sample showed Davies had been more than double the legal limit when the collision happened.

He was fined £3,017 by Llandrindod Wells Magistrates' Court and disqualified from driving for 20 months but was told this could be reduced if he completed a drink-driving awareness course.

Davies had held the post of mayor for four years and in his statement, which was published on Tuesday, he said he had "enjoyed 99.9% of it".

But, he added, "the last few years have been hard".

In that time, he said the deaths of his mother and grandfather, plus other "life-changing moments" had taken a "big toll" on his health.

His job had also suffered, because of his commitment to the mayor role, he said.

Davies said when he started a second three-year term in May he thought it would be "perhaps a distraction," but had not realised the extra weight it would put on his shoulders.

Nevertheless, he said he wanted to thank the people of Clun for their "overwhelming" support and said: "We've had Jubilees, proclamations, charity events, visits, other events, a total rollercoaster."

He also said the role "has changed my perception of what goes on in this community".

But he said while Clun was an "amazing place", online trolls who made "unsubstantiated comments" were discouraging people from taking on public roles.

He said this had no bearing on his decision but was "sad and quite frankly dangerous".

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