Watford’s newly re-elected mayor has said this will be her last term in the office.

Dorothy Thornhill said she would not seek a fifth term in the job after securing her fourth in a row last month.

She said: "There is one decision I have made: This will be my last term as mayor."

The Liberal Democrat comfortably held the mayoralty on May 22 and beat her nearest challenger by more than 6,000 votes.

Mayor Thornhill did originally rule out running for a fourth term after her third mayoral victory in 2010. However she later changed her mind, saying she had suffered a health scare at the time and she wanted to see through large projects such as the health campus and Croxley Rail Link.

Meanwhile the mayor has still not ruled out standing for Parliament in next year’s General Election.

The Liberal Democrats are starting to advertise for candidates and Mayor Thornhill has said she will decide whether she throws her hat into the ring over the coming weeks.

Before the election the mayor said she was "undecided" about standing next May and that elements in her party were encouraging her be Watford’s candidate.

The Liberal Democrats came second in Watford in the 2010, finishing just 1,425 votes behind Conservative MP, Richard Harrington.