​Thanet council chiefs were left red-faced last night after plans to broadcast their meeting were scuppered by faulty wiring.

The full council meeting held in the Cecil Square chamber was supposed to be the first to be screened on the internet, but councillors were informed the planned filming would not go ahead.

Cllr Simon Moores, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, told the chamber: “The broadcast will not go ahead.

"It is not a problem with the internet. It is to do with the cabling and microphones which, as you know, are intermittent.”

He said the broadcast would have been like a “silent movie” if it had been beamed out as planned.

Newington Cllr Mike Harrison joked that he had worn a clean shirt especially for the occasion.

To add insult to injury, councillors had to shout their questions and reports, because the chamber’s microphone system was also not working.

It is hoped the broadcast meetings will now start in the new year.