Dover Mayor Neil Rix caught on camera snorting white powder refuses to resign

'It could have been sherbet for all I know,' says councillor

Footage emerged on YouTube of Councillor Neil Rix rolling up a bank note and snorting the substance from the back of a toilet (YouTube)

The Mayor of Dover has refused to resign after he was caught on camera snorting a line of white powder in a bathroom cubicle.

Footage emerged on YouTube of Councillor Neil Rix rolling up a bank note and snorting the substance from the back of a toilet cistern.

The footage, which has since been removed from YouTube, shows Mr Rix order the man filming to "shut the door" before saying: "They wouldn't want to see Councillor Rix doing this."

Moments later his acquaintance says "You do the big one", to which Mr Rix asks "Are you sure?"

The acquaintance responds: “Yeah, go on” at which point Mr Rix leans over the toilet seat and appears to snort the substance.

When asked about the footage, Mr Rix admitted he was caught on camera but said he could not remember where it was, and insisted he would not be resigning from his post.

He told the BBC: “I'm not standing down. I just feel I have let down my family but I will get over it. I have had a lot of support from friends and family, people that know me.

“People were putting stuff in my drink. I was being blackmailed. I'm glad it's out in the open.”

The Mayor added that he was “dead against” drug taking and did not know what the substance was, saying: “It could have been sherbet for all I know."

He said police were currently investigating his reports of blackmail.

It is currently unclear who took the footage or when or where it was shot.

A spokesperson from Kent Police told The Independent: "Kent Police is aware of media coverage of a video circulating online reportedly relating to drug use.

"Officers will be making enquiries to establish the circumstances of the footage."

When asked about investigations into blackmail, the spokesperson said they could not release details on a named individual that may or may not be subject to a crime.

Meanwhile, Dover Town Council has backed Mr Rix's comments that he will not be standing down, claiming the circumstances of the video are "ambiguous".

A spokesperson for the Council said: "We are aware of a video being posted on YouTube of Neil Rix, Town Mayor of Dover.

"The video and the circumstances in which it has been posted are ambiguous. We will not allow the current speculation to stand in the way of the work of the Mayor and Dover Town Council."

Mr Rix was elected as Mayor of Dover in April. He is a well-known businessman in the coastal town and runs a number of successful construction businesses.