A parish council riven with acrimony has suffered a further blow with the resignation of three of its members.

Bearsted Parish Council’s chairman Martin Broughton has stood down after two years and nine months as councillor with no official explanation.

His vice chairman, Adam Powell, has resigned for personal reasons – he has recently taken up a new job in Chelmsford.

A third councillor, Jon Hughes, has also quit.

Mr Hughes and his wife Fabienne, who is also a parish councillor, were the centre of controversy in June, for rejecting calls to resign their positions, despite claims he was living in France at the time.

The parish had already seen three elections in the last year due to vacancies.

Mr Hughes explained his reasons for resigning in a letter to clerk Erin Sugden.

He said: “For months, I have witnessed the bullying of you (the clerk) and fellow councillors and indeed myself. I feel this is not acceptable.

“I wish to be no part of a divisive and self-destructive group of people whose sole intent appears to disrupt democratic process.

“My personal view is that if they crave power, for what it is, so much, they are welcome to it.”

He continued: “Contrary to popular belief, I do not live in France, but can assure you that I soon will.”

“Their morals (the French) are of a much higher standard.”

The parish council has been split recently over a controversial proposal – known as Project A – to move the village allotments so that the village tennis club can add extra courts.

It would mean moving the plots from Church Landway to a piece of land opposite, donated by local philanthropist Richard Ashness.

Each side has accused the other of underhand dealings, including suggestions a village poll had been infiltrated by a hacker who used fake accounts to sway the vote.

Mr Hughes is now back in France at the home he is doing up with his wife.

Speaking from there, he said: “I’m just fed up with it all really. I’ve been involved with the parish council on and off for 20 years, but it is just so frustrating.

“There’s an element on the council who just say ‘no, no, no’ to everything.

“In the last six months, because of Project A, it’s got progressively worse.

“I genuinely can’t understand the objections to Project A. We’ve been given this piece of land, which is worth a lot of money. Developers are paying up to a £1m an acre these days.”

Mr Hughes said: “I am originally from a farming background and I get that it’s an emotive issue for the allotment holders – it will be a lot of hard work for them to move.

“But at the end of the day, the village would end up with far more allotment plots. And the land has been fallow for years – it should be good for growing.”

Because the three resignations have occurred within six months of the next full council election in May, the parish is not obliged to have formal elections to fill the posts.

Instead the council intends to fill the seats by co-option at its next meeting.