A third Liberal Democrat councillor has quit the party to become an Independent.

Cllr Maggie Parker has resigned as a Lib Dem councillor, but will remain at Watford Borough Council as an Independent representative in Oxhey ward.

She has been a local councillor since May 2017, and she states she lived in Oxhey for 16 years.

Cllr Parker said she will not make any comments or provide further details about the resignation.

She is the third Lib Dem councillor to resign in recent weeks, after Cllr Keith Crout also quit to become an Independent, while Cllr Jane Johnson in Nascot ward left the council altogether.

In comments made to the Observer, Cllr Crout, a member for more than 20 years and who has formerly served as council chairman, said he would not have resigned "if he did not feel so strongly" about an issue, which he declined to go into detail about at the time.

But he did state the reason was “due to the conduct of the local party and its treatment of fellow councillors”.

He added that it was a decision that was “brewing for around 18 months”.

On Facebook, Cllr Crout announced: “I was joined on Friday by Maggie Parker, a councillor in Oxhey, and we will be forming an Independent group on the council.”

Mrs Johnson has also resigned as a Watford Liberal Democrat councillor and a by-election will take place in May to fill her seat.

She told the Observer: "I lost my enthusiasm for the role following two close family bereavements but also felt there was an unhealthy influence from outside the group of fellow councillors that I wasn't comfortable with and believed this was having a detrimental effect. So I chose to step away."

Watford Liberal Democrat party chairman Peter Kloss, who is also a councillor in Park Ward, claims there were indications of Cllr Parker leaving earlier in the year.

He said: "Maggie Parker indicated in early January that she would be moving to Northamptonshire and would be resigning her seat for May’s elections.

"She subsequently changed her mind and has now decided to continue, but as an independent councillor, although we believe that she still plans to leave the town.

"In the Liberal Democrats we believe that local councillors should live close to local residents so that they can best serve the community that elected them.

"We wish Maggie all the best for the future."