Dartmouth Town Council has withdrawn a councillor’s right to post on its own Facebook page after a breach of its social media guidelines.

The move came after Cllr Robin Springett shared a Leave.EU Facebook post of clip from the BBC’s Question Time programme to the council’s official page on Monday evening.

The council’s social media guidelines say that “official social media sites will not be used for political gain or campaigning”.

The guidelines add: “Staff and elected members should adhere to the staff/ members’ code of conduct in their use of social media and be aware that breaches will result in disciplinary ­procedure.”

The town council said on Tuesday morning, in response to questions from the Chronicle about the post: “You are correct in assuming that this is in contravention of our social media policy.

“The offending video was removed as soon as its presence came to our attention and the perpetrator has had posting rights withdrawn.”

But Cllr Robin Springett, who on Wednesday admitted to the Chronicle that he had shared the post to the council’s Facebook page, said: “I don’t see how it is in breach, as it doesn’t propose any political party view, nor suggest anything that isn’t national policy.

“It is as I suggested ‘interesting and succinct’ – an instructional for both councillors and members of the public on how to make your point with carefully reasoned argument rather than emotion.”

Ex-town councillor and former Dartmouth Business Improvement District chairman Paul Reach linked the Chronicle’s original story on Tuesday to his Dartmouth Business News website.

Mr Reach said: “In a strange ­departure from the rules, Dartmouth Town Council posted an anti-EU video on its official Facebook page.”

This provoked a response from two town councillors.

Cllr David Gent, referring to the fact that the council had responded to the Chronicle’s request for a comment, said: “Paul, it is obviously open season to attack the town council, but if your idea of journalism is simply to reproduce a story from the Dartmouth Chronicle, you might at least reproduce the up-to-date version (which appears on the Chronicle’s website) that shows the response. That confirms that speedy action has been taken.”

Cllr Steve Smith said: “With the greatest respect to my friend and fellow councillor David Gent and his comment of ‘open season to attack the town ­council’, the public have every right to do so as we are accountable for our actions, including this anti-EU posting. Cllr Gent has been formidable with his input to council standing orders over many years and, knowing him, he will leave no stone unturned to find out who sanctioned this posting and, as we are open and honest, will name and shame and impose penalties.

“Our council sadly is on a public rollercoaster ride and it is self-inflicted.

“We can only get back on a level track when we start listening to public opinion and resist the temptation of believing we have all the answers. Communication, sharing information and community inclusion are on my wish list for 2018 and it does not include propaganda.”

Leave.EU, a vehement anti-EU ­campaign group, was co-founded by Arron Banks, one of the largest donors to Ukip until he was suspended from the party earlier this year.

The Brexit-backing millionaire ­businessman is being investigated by the elections watchdog concerning his donations in the EU referendum last year.

The Electoral Commission has announced that it will look into whether Mr Banks committed offences concerning ­donations or loans made to campaigners during last year’s referendum vote.