Calls have been made for a newly elected councillor to resign after it emerged he is a convicted burglar.

Liberal Democrat candidate Mo Rattab won the Bedmond seat on Abbots Langley Parish Council with 199 votes after 330 voters went to the polls on September 8.

But the Conservative party wants the seat to be fought again, accusing the Lib Dems of "failing to be transparent" about Cllr Rattab's criminal past.

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Cllr Rattab was jailed in 2009 for three years and 146 days after admitting to breaking into a St Albans home. He had previously been jailed twice for burglary and the court heard he broke into homes to feed his drug addiction, which had lasted for 11 years.

The Lib Dems claim they only discovered confirmation of Cllr Rattab's convictions after the election was held. The party has described its candidate as someone who has "worked hard to turn his life around".

Ciaran Reed, leader of the Three Rivers Conservative group, said he and his colleagues are "deeply concerned" by the convictions.

He continued: "Whilst we appreciate people can change their lives around, we do not think that he has conducted himself as a reformed man would during the campaign in Bedmond.

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"He failed to declare this part of his past to the electorate, who should have known about his history given the nature of it."

He said Cllr Rattab had not appeared at the count, and criticised his failure to declare anything on his register of interests, including who had paid his election expenses.

He added: "Given that lack of transparency, we are calling for him to resign and allow for an election where the people of Bedmond truly know the character of who they are voting for."

Labour group leader Steve Cox said the Lib Dems had not been "open, honest and transparent" during the election process but stopped short of calling for Cllr Rattab to resign as he wants to establish the "full facts" of how he was selected, describing it as an "odd choice".

In campaign leaflets, Cllr Rattab, 45, was labelled by the Lib Dems as the "best choice" for Bedmond. A party spokesperson said there was no requirement for Cllr Rattab to disclose his convictions to them, and he had not.

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: "Mo has worked to turn his life around, supports others to help prevent them falling into a life of crime and addiction, and tries to set an example to others that recovery is possible. He has served his time and under the law his convictions were spent many years ago and do not have to be disclosed."

Cllr Rattab added: "I’m ashamed of who I was in my youth, but I haven’t been that person for a long time. I want to give back to the community and am so proud to have been elected as a councillor. I am a father to two young children, and I am determined to set them a good example.

"Addiction is an illness that can strike almost anyone. I still attend mutual support groups, volunteer to work with people with substance abuse or mental health issues, and I try to guide younger people to prevent them getting into the same situation I was in."