DURHAM city councillors have rejected a call to praise a satirical magazine's "excellent investigative journalism".

Liberal Democrat member Richard Ormerod proposed a motion saying that the council "congratulates Private Eye magazine on its recent 40th birthday and thanks the editors past and present for four decades of excellent investigative journalism".

But the motion was rejected after the council's Labour leader Maurice Crathorne said that it breached standing orders.

He told the full council that motions had to be relevant to the council and its work and that Councillor Ormerod's proposal did not meet that requirement.

The council has featured in several articles in the magazine's Rotten Boroughs section in recent years.

Afterwards, Councillor Ormerod said: "I don't think the council should accept any limits on what the council will and will not discuss.

"It is relevant to the people of Durham. Anyone who goes to the bus station at 8.30am will see copies of Private Eye being read.

"I think it has done an immense service to the country for 40 years. Britain would be a lot worse place to live without it. It's congratulations to the editor Ian Hislop, the staff and the previous editors.''