The Mayor of Naas in Co Kildare has said he will no longer represent those of African origin in the town.

Councillor Darren Scully has stressed that this is his own view, and not that of Naas County Council.

He said he made the decision based on what he described as the "aggressive" attitude he experienced when representations were made to him by black Africans.

Speaking to KFM, Darren Scully said he would refer any black African seeking assistance from him to another of his council colleagues.

"I have been met with aggressiveness and bad manners," he said. "I have also been met with the race card, (with people saying) 'Oh yeah, you will help white people, but you don't help black people'.

"So after a while I made a decision that I was just not going to take on representations from black Africans, that I would be very courteous to them and I would pass on their query to other public representatives.

"Everything I do as a councillor is for the general good…It saddens me that people would call me a racist, because I'm not."