Tory councillor apologises for 'urinating in David Beckham sister's garden'

'I had been canvassing on a cold day and with a chill in my kidneys,' says Mark Durham

Mark Durham, former leader of Maldon District Council, was out canvassing for the local elections (Maldon District Council)

A Tory councillor has apologised after he was accused of urinating in David Beckham’s sister's garden while out canvassing.

Mark Durham, 59, was reported to Essex Police after Lynne Beckham spotted him emerging from behind the bushes at her home in the village of Tollesbury.

Her doorbell camera captured the councillor relieving himself next to fence and sent an alert to an app her mobile phone, she told The Sun.

“When I confronted him he laughed,” she told friends on Facebook. “My neighbour saw him too and said, ‘You won’t get their vote or mine’. Police are dealing with it.”

Mr Durham, a former leader of Maldon District Council, later said he was “sincerely sorry for any embarrassment or anger that this has caused” in a statement to the BBC. He said: “I had been canvassing on a cold day and with a chill in my kidneys.

“I got an urgent need to pass water and in terror looked for somewhere private.”

The councillor for Wickham Bishops and Woodham ward said he found it “impossible” to get over a fence into an open field and chose what he thought was a “safe location” instead.

He said he tried to apologise after being confronted by “an angry couple”.

He added: “I certainly would never dream of doing anything like this in public. From the aerial photo, this does not appear to be on the property belonging to Ms Beckham.”

Essex Police said they investigated the incident on 6 April and spoke to Ms Beckham but concluded ”no criminal offences have been committed”.

A spokesperson was unable to say whether officers had spoken to the councillor.

Mr Durham has since stood down from the Maldon Conservative Group but will still be listed on the ballot papers for the local elections.

He did not respond to requests for further comment.