The majority of councillors failed to follow guidance to wear face coverings during a council meeting this week that lasted more than six hours.

Hertfordshire County Council returned to its council chamber for the first time in almost 20 months on October 19 but very few councillors opted to wear face coverings.

This was despite advice issued to members in advance of the meeting that they were "strongly encouraged" to cover their mouth and nose unless they were exempt or talking.

The advice, obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, had been issued by the council's chief legal officer Quentin Baker along with Hertfordshire's director of public health Jim McManus.

Although disposable face covering were provided for councillors to collect outside of the chamber, only a handful of councillors opted to keep their face coverings on while seated.

Following the meeting Conservative deputy leader of the council and executive member for public health and community safety, Cllr Morris Bright, stressed face coverings were not the only measure implemented in the chamber.

He pointed to the open doors at the rear of the chamber, the high ceiling and ventilation – as well as CO2 monitors.

The councillor, who also leads Hertsmere Borough Council, said some councillors struggled to wear the face coverings for the length of the meeting – which comprised of two three-hour sessions.

But he said they did wear the coverings outside of the chamber. And he reported that there was "good mask wearing in the corridors and communal areas".

He said that the recommendations were being brought in for the winter – and it was not necessarily expected that all members wear the coverings at its first meeting.

Meanwhile, leader of the Liberal Democrat group Cllr Stephen GIles-Medhurst said that the decision was a personal one – and that some members may have been exempt.

He said he did not wear a face covering while sitting, but that he did whenever he moved around.

And he pointed to the "mixed advice" from central government as a factor and as being "unhelpful".

Leader of the Labour group Cllr Judi Billing – who is exempt from wearing a face covering on medical grounds – said that it had been "strange".

She pointed to her experience in Spain where the wearing of face coverings had been much more stringently observed - and she said feared there would be "consequences" from the approach being taken by the UK government.

Following the meeting a spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: "In advance of the full council meeting guidance was issued to all councillors regarding suggested measures they could take to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

"This information, which included the suggestion to wear a face mask, was issued as guidance and was not mandatory, and it is not within our remit to comment on the choices made by individuals on the day."