A councillor has resigned after he was accused of being a convicted paedophile.

Peter Jones had served on Yapton Parish Council for eight years and was most recently a member of the council's playing fields committee.

He stepped down yesterday after a resident contacted the council and The Argus claiming he had details of Mr Jones' conviction in 1997 for two counts of indecent assault on a 15-year-old girl.

Court papers attached to the email show a Peter Hill Jones was jailed for three years for a sexual offence in which he also threatened to rape a girl and get her pregnant. The sentence was later reduced to two years on appeal.

Yesterday Mr Jones refused to comment on his resignation, which comes just three weeks after he was re-elected.

A statement released by Yapton Parish Council confirmed it had “received an email from a local resident making certain allegations about an unnamed parish councillor having a previous serious criminal record.

“David Tansley, clerk of the council, contacted the police and forwarded to them a copy of the email concerned. The police in turn responded to the email and we understand subsequently spoke to the complainant.

“Peter Hill Jones who was re-elected as a parish councillor for the Yapton Village Ward of Yapton Parish Council at the elections held on May 5 has since submitted his resignation as a councillor and this has been accepted.”

The resident's email, which was also sent to The Argus, said: “I feel deeply sickened and worried for my kids and all the children of Yapton. I have recently found out I am living 100 yards from a sex offender and to make matters worse he sits on Yapton Parish Council.

“What concerns me even more is that he managed to get on your parish council which I have no doubts is highly involved in kids' activities.”

In 2007 Arun District Council issued advice to all its town and parish councils that councillors should be subject to criminal background checks.

At the time council leader Gillian Brown said: "Becoming a councillor puts people in a position of responsibility and trust and that is why it is necessary to introduce these checks both for councillors' own protection and as a reassurance to the community they serve.”

Mr Tansley insisted parish councillors had never been subject to the checks as they do not have direct contact with children.