A FORMER Mayor of Worcester is threatening to dump the Conservatives and stand against them at next year's elections, it has emerged.

Councillor Derek Prodger, who has been de-selected from his Bedwardine division at Worcestershire County Council, is considering contesting the seat as an independent.

Only last month the high-profile chairman of the region's fire authority was dumped in favour of Councillor Alan Amos in a controversial move.

If he does take on the Conservatives, it will trigger the end of his party membership after 34 years representing the party in various councils.

Councillor Prodger says since this newspaper reported his shock de-selection, he has had a lot of people ask him to stand again independently.

"I've had a lot of people tell me I should do it," he said.

"I am thinking about it and haven't yet made my mind up."

The 79-year-old's seat is known as a safe Conservative one, leading to fierce competition for it.

During a selection battle a panel of more than 20 Conservative members ended up selecting Cllr Amos, who currently holds the Warndon seat at County Hall having been elected there as a Labour politician in 2013.

He quit Labour two years ago after an internal party fallout, going on to become Worcester's mayor at the city council, but has been anxious to move on from Warndon in time for the 2017 County Hall elections in the knowledge that it regularly delivers Labour victories.

Cllr Prodger was first elected in 1982 on the city council, before getting a seat on the old Hereford and Worcester County Council and staying on when Worcestershire County Council was formed in 1998.

He is a former cabinet member at County Hall, and suffered a heart attack back in March, but always made it clear he wanted to carry on, but was de-selected last month.

Former leading city politician Francis Lankester was also vying for the Bedwardine nomination, before it went to Cllr Amos.

Under Conservative Party rules any members who stand against their party automatically lose their membership.