A NEWPORT city councillor says he has been driven away from social media due to the “nasty” comments made in the wake of a post that he said was a joke.

Cllr Miqdad Al-Nuaimi said he now regrets making the joke about Boris Johnson and apologised for it. He also deleted it.

But the councillor, who represents Stow Hill, said the comments made by others in the wake of the joke had gone too far so he has temporarily deleted his Twitter and Facebook accounts in order, he says, to protect his and his family’s privacy.

The post - which was subsequently described as “totally unacceptable” by Newport Conservatives on Facebook - on Cllr Al-Nuaimi's now-deleted Facebook account, involved him making a joke about the forecast for more storms.

READ MORE:

He said: “In such cases, it seems the gods are unhappy with us.

“We need to placate them and plead for forgiveness.

“I suggest we also make a sacrifice by offering Boris’ head on a plate.”

He has since apologised for his post but it led to a series of critical comments.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Al-Nuaimi said the comments that had been made on social media in response to his joke had gone too far.

He said: “I’m taking a break from social media to spare my family the anguish arising from the nasty and untrue comments made.

“As for the Boris Johnson post, it was a joke, but one that I regret making. I apologise and have since deleted it.”