A town council is leaving X, formerly Twitter, after its claims of an "increase in unfiltered and inappropriate content."

Chippenham Town Council in Wiltshire said it would delete its X accounts on 1 November as the site no longer "aligns with its values".

The move has been slated by the local Conservative group, which called the platform "an important tool to keep residents informed".

The spokesperson said that "the platform remains committed to offering a safe and free space for all users to express themselves".

The Liberal Democrat-run town council said X "has been a great place" to engage with community, but that "changes on the platform" made leaders "reconsider" using it.

"We have been witnessing a serious upsurge in unscreened and inappropriate content that do not meet the standards of our town council," said one of the councilors.

"There's also a sharp drop in engagement and relevant interaction on the platform," he added.

Conservatives for the town condemned the proposal.

"It's good for people to have  to keep them updated, especially those in the next generation," Patrick Cousins said.

Meanwhile councillor Nic Puntis wants the council to rethink: "I will continue to use my platforms to keep residents informed about what is happening in our town."

A representative for X added that the teams "continue to work toward the goal" of allowing free public speech.