The former Mayor of Pendle, Lancashire, has been suspended by the Conservative party after posting a racist 'joke' on her Facebook page.
Councillor Rosemary Carroll shared a post about a man asking for benefits for his pet, using racial comparisons.
Councillor Carroll, now listed as an independent, told LADbible: "It was a mistake, obviously, somebody posted it to me and I thought I was deleting it.
"I don't use Facebook much. Everything has gone over the top now. It was a genuine mistake. I can only apologise, because I am not racist by any means."
Credit: Pendle Council
She admitted that, at this stage, she is unaware of what the next stage of action is from the Conservative party.
"All I can say is, if I've caused offence, I am truly sorry. I don't do stuff like this and have closed that Facebook thing," she added.
Carroll was Mayor of Pendle until last month but was suspended by her party after the post appeared this week.
Credit: Facebook
The local Conservative branch posted a statement about the 'inappropriate post' on Facebook after the allegations came to light.
After a meeting, they wrote: "The decision has been taken to suspend Cllr Rosemary Carroll from the Conservative Party and the Pendle Conservative Council Group with immediate effect, pending an investigation.
"This is the result of an inappropriate social media post shared by Cllr Carroll on her own Facebook page.
"We will be making no further comment until the investigation has concluded."
Councillor Wayne Blackburn, a colleague of Carroll, in a Facebook post stated that he was 'deeply saddened' by the post.
He added that he had always found Carroll 'welcoming and engaging' and had enjoyed her company during her time as Mayor.
"As councillors," he wrote, "we have a duty to ensure that our posts are not offensive under the Council's code of conduct."
Featured Image Credit: Pendle CouncilTopics: Racism, UK News, Racist, Social Media, Facebook