The position of Elected Mayor of Watford should be axed if it is not a full-time role, the town’s Member of Parliament has said.

Richard Harrington called Dorothy Thornhill’s plan to represent the town in Westminster while continuing to run the Town Hall ‘fanciful’.

The Conservative MP said were the Liberal Democrat candidate to win the Watford seat, she would need to stand down as mayor immediately - or the mayoralty should be scrapped altogether. 

He told the Observer: "Having been an MP for four years, I know this is not a part-time job. It’s a six-day-a-week job.

"I presume the mayoral job is similar but it is fanciful to think even for a minute you can do both. No one can do both jobs properly.

"I think Dorothy is perfectly right to stand if she wants to do so and I don’t believe she misled the electorate, but were she to be elected I think she would have to stand down immediately as mayor.

"It’s nothing to do with who is in the position but these are full-time jobs. If it is not a full-time role then we shouldn’t have a mayor."

Mrs Thornhill told the Observer earlier this week that she would see out another year were she to be elected MP in May in a bid to avoid a by-election.

She said: "It will be business as usual. I already go out and door knock, meet people and attend community events. I won’t be doing anything differently."

But Mr Harrington, who was elected in 2010, said Watford would ‘not be properly represented’ at all levels of government with someone operating in a dual-role capacity.

He said: "I don’t know her reasons but if it takes a by-election there should be one. 

"If it is important that we have an elected mayor, we need a mayor and an MP, as the town would not be properly represented with a person doing both jobs for a minute let alone a year."