EMBATTLED Torfaen councillor Mike Davies, pictured, last night made a doomed last ditch bid to salvage his reputation - after being censured for his remarks to a female colleague.

The Penygarn and St Cadocs ward member was disciplined by the council's ethics and standards committee in August, after asking a female council worker: "How would you like to mess about with me?"

The woman had replied: "Pardon?" and when he repeated the question replied: "No thank you". Councillor Davies then said: "That's the wrong answer, you should have said 'no thank you, but thanks for the compliment'."

The committee concluded his comments on May 2 breached the code of conduct and he was banned from sitting on any council committees for three months.

Last night he tried to overturn the decision, telling a full council meeting the August hearing was prejudiced by prior press coverage - particularly in the South Wales Argus and Western Mail.

But his attempt failed and a motion led by Councillor Aneurin James to carry the ethics committee's decision was approved with 20 members voting for the motion, 4 against and 4 abstaining.

Councillor Davies told colleagues: "The evidence against me was unsafe as it was already in the public domain. That affected the outcome of the hearing. If you throw enough muck at the wall some of it is bound to stick. The real issue here tonight is the injustice done to me by the press."

He added that he believed the motion to censure him should be rejected on those grounds. But Councillor Aneurin James, who sat on the ethics and standards committee, said: "Yes it was in the press but you made a fundamental mistake in replying to the press when they called you.

Comments you made left you and your family open to severe criticism." There was a heated debate on the issue, including whether the matter should have been dealt with behind closed doors.

Councillor Gwyneira Clark said: "How much more can Mike Davies and his family be expected to take? Knowing Mike as I do I don't think any harm was intended. He and his family have suffered over the past months because of this affair."

John Harrhy, who chaired the original standards and ethics meeting, said he had contacted Sue Essex AM to see whether proceedings in future could be held behind closed doors.

Councillor Davies refused to comment after the meeting.