Two county councillors have been sanctioned for breaching public health guidelines by travelling to Spain.

The Social Democrats have removed the party whip from Councillor Bill Clear after it emerged he went to Spain on holidays.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has removed the whip from Monaghan Councillor Cathy Bennett who travelled to Lanzarote with her family.

The Social Democrats National Executive last night agreed to withdraw the party whip from Councillor Clear for a period of six months after agreeing that he breached Covid-19 guidelines by travelling to the Costa Del Sol for two weeks.

He has resigned from his role as deputy mayor of Naas Municipal District and will sit as an independent for the next six months.

Councillor Clear returned to Ireland on August 1st and ended his two-week quarantine period early after testing negative for the virus – despite Government guidance that everyone returning from a non-green-list country must restrict their movements for 14-days.

He has apologised to his constituents but claimed Government advice was unclear.

The Social Democrats said they expect all public representatives to “uphold high standards in public office.”

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has confirmed that the party whip has been removed from Councillor Cathy Bennett.

The party said her trip to Lanzarote was in breach of “party guidance and public health advice regarding international travel.”

It said it is “vitally important that elected representatives show leadership in respecting the necessary public health advice so that we can collectively tackle COVID-19.”