A COUNCILLOR suspended in a row over a ‘racist’ email has been reinstated after he completed a course on diversity.

Ken Hind has been reinstated as a member of the Conservative Party after he was carpeted for passing on an email joke about immigration.

He said: “I was mortified by the fact that this email could offend and I unreservedly apologise to all those people from the nations mentioned in the email.

"It was not my intention to insult their racial origins.

“I regret passing on this email as I recognise now that read in a particular way it could cause offence.

"Any apparent insult or criticism contained in this joke does not reflect my views or those of the Conservative Party.

“Racism is a despicable, destructive, corrupting emotion which undermines our tolerant, liberal society and has no place in Britain today.

“I have been asked by Conservative central office to undertake a diversity course which I am happy to undertake and have completed.”

Mr Hind was suspended by the Conservative Party along with his colleague Coun Simon Farnworth, who denied sending the message and is appealing against his suspension.

The pair were said to have sent the email to a long list of Tories, including Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans, the mayor of South Ribble, and other South Ribble and Ribble Valley councillors.

The duo were suspended after the Conservative Party was alerted to the email by a national newspaper earlier this month.

The joke centred on five immigrants and said that the only people at work are British nationals.