THIS is the moment a councillor was caught driving while participating in a Microsoft Teams meeting.
The man could be seen sipping from a drink and changing gear while on the video call.
Dean Lewis, member of Neath Port Talbot Council, was caught earlier this year seemingly driving his car while on a call.
The footage shows Lewis with a green screen background, while wearing a seatbelt and changing gears.
He can be seen sitting facing away from the camera, at the bottom left of the meeting.
His device was balancing in the cup holder of the car, just in view of the motorist.
The meeting was set to discuss an application to build more than 100 holiday lodges in the local area.
Shortly after being caught, Lewis referred himself to the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales which will not be taking any further action.
He has since spoken out about the incident, claiming he was driving on private land and parked for most of the meeting.
Lewis then stated the entire situation has been blown out of proportion.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Lewis said: “The reason why it hasn’t gone any further is because when I was driving, I was driving on private land at work.
“For 90 per cent of the meeting I was sat down in a car park, not driving.”
He then admitted how the action may have been frowned upon, so referred himself to the Ombudsman.
A council spokesperson said: “The council is aware of the footage from the planning committee meeting held on 20 January and the matters that have been raised.
“The Ombudsman has now completed their consideration and has notified the council that they will not be undertaking any further investigation.
“Participation in meetings remains subject to compliance with applicable legal and safety requirements.”
This is not the first time the Resolven and Tonna representative has been called out for driving-related offences.
Lewis was previously suspended for four months after a drink-driving conviction in 2024.
This comes just three years after another councillor was caught driving during a video meeting in July 2022.
Andrew Wood, independent member of Conwy Council, faced scrutiny after raising his hand to vote on a virtual meeting while behind the wheel.
He too was referred to the Ombudsman, after claiming he did not partake in any motoring offences.
The body then launched an investigation, to which they took no further action as it was an isolated event.
