A group of drunks accosted the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, forcing her chauffeur to abandon his car on double-yellow lines to rush to her aid.

The civic attendant said he intended to drop Cllr Heather Taylor off in St George's Square to attend the launch of the Canterbury and District Sports Awards before finding a parking space.

But he said he had to leave the Jaguar XF in the no-parking zone in Canterbury Lane to protect Cllr Taylor and Lady Mayoress Linda Taylor after "an angry person" started shouting at them.

They were then joined by two drunks, who started harassing the Taylors for their mayoral chains on Saturday.

Half-an-hour later, the car was spotted by annoyed resident Dominic DePaolis, who took a photo of the parking breach.

Mr DePaolis, of St Dunstan's Street, said: "Given the problems with illegal parking and obstructing the pavement in many parts of Canterbury, this seems to me a fine example of 'do as I say, not as I do'."

But Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies said the rules still applied to the civic team.

He said: "In normal circumstances when there is no parking available at an event, the civic attendant would drop the Lord Mayor off and then go and park the car.

"However, on Saturday, when the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress were attending the launch of the sports awards in the city centre, they were accosted by an angry person shouting at them and two drunk people who were showing an unacceptable level of interest in the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress' chains of office.

"The civic attendant felt he should stay with them for their safety and the security of the chains, which are valuable items. He returned to the car and moved it at the first available opportunity."

Mr Davies added: "To be absolutely clear, there are no special rules in place that mean parking regulations do not apply to the civic team.

"Had a civil enforcement officer seen the vehicle and issued a ticket, it would have been paid."

Mr Davies also pointed out that the Lord Mayor's car is provided by Barretts of Canterbury and not funded by the taxpayer.

Last week, a council worker was given a ticking off after parking his Land Rover on double-yellow lines just metres away from spaces on Herne Bay seafront.