A councillor is to present evidence before Monmouthshire's standards committee after being found to have breached the councillor's code of conduct.

But Llanwenarth Ultra councillor Verona Nelmes said she is bewildered that the procedure has come this far.

The standards committee met this week in her absence to decide whether there was a case for Mrs Nelmes to answer.

The committee had received confirmation in a report from the ombudsman that a failure to declare an interest during discussions and votes about Abergavenny town regeneration while her son sold gardening equipment and tools from a stall at the market was effectively a breach of the code.

But Mrs Nelmes had sought advice from the legal department before discussions in the council chamber on April 29 last year and claims she was told it was fine to take part in discussion on local regeneration.

The ombudsman's view that Mrs Nelmes acted "unreasonably" in not declaring an interest was backed up by the Standards Committee and now she is due to defend herself in a hearing on August 9.

Monmouthshire legal officer Rob Tranter said: "The committee endorsed the ombudsman's view that Councillor Nelmes breached the code and will consider her remarks at a hearing."

Mrs Nelmes told the ombudsman she only spoke in debates concerning supermarket plans for the old cattle market but opted out of any discussion with implications for market traders.