AN investigation has been launched after two Bromsgrove councillors were alleged to have broken coronavirus regulations by being in the same house for an online meeting.

Bromsgrove District Council has confirmed it is looking into the matter involving Conservative councillors Rod Laight (Lowes Hill) and Shirley Webb (Catshill South).

The pair were in the same house during Wednesday night's full council meeting, held on Zoom, and independent Hagley councillor Steve Colella raised the matter to Cllr Laight, who was acting as chair.

After a lengthy discussion and a half-hour adjournment, Cllr Laight was replaced as chair by Cllr Andrew Beaumont.

Cllr Colella had said: “The leader started the meeting and said how we as a council should uphold the Government guidance on Tier 2 Covid restrictions and then at a full council meeting, which is in public, it is quite apparent that you are in the same house as Councillor Webb.

"You’ve been sharing equipment, no masks and presumably not much social distancing.

"Unless you’re in a bubble, I think is totally wrong as regards following Government guidance and it perhaps should have been something declared at the start of the meeting.

“How I understand it is that we cannot have any people outside our bubbles or outside our own immediate family inside our properties.

"I can’t have a work colleague come into my house, I met a work colleague out on the front drive the other evening. So why is it different for a councillor than a member of the public?"

Cllr Laight said that he and Cllr Webb were socially distanced, while Cllr Webb claimed the work colleagues were in a 'bubble'.

She said: “Can I just clarify that this is my place of work and I am in a bubble with Councillor Laight.

"We work together for Primrose Hospice and we also work together for the Scouts."

However, Labour councillor Luke Mallett (Hill Top) questioned the legitimacy of the bubble.

He said: “I would be quite concerned because I think Councillor Webb’s understanding of a bubble doesn’t operate in this context. Bubbles are around mutual support.

"I would be quite concerned with this meeting continuing with you chairing the meeting while Cllr Colella has raised these concerns."

After a lengthy delay, the meeting resumed with the council's head of legal services Claire Felton addressing the issue.

She said: “Having made some enquiries it is clear there are some exemptions to the Covid guidelines requiring people to refrain from occupying others’ homes, although I’m not clear at this moment whether or not that exemption would be suitable in the circumstances.

“Therefore I have made my assurances to Cllr Colella that I will investigate this matter and report back to council in a public context."