Midsomer Norton Mayor, Gordon Mackay, explained to Somer Valley FM listeners the story behind the latest addition to his civic regalia, the mayoral hat.

Former Mayor, Lynda Robertson, became a recognisable figure around the town, regularly sporting red robes and the chain of office. Talking to Richard Burgess on the Friday Midday Magazine, Cllr Mackay explained how his ceremonial headdress, came about.

"The first thing I did, I looked at a bunch of other mayors online, they've all got mayoral hats. I thought I need to get myself a mayoral hat. But it's a very difficult thing to buy, so I ended up ordering this lovely mayoral hat from Germany. A lot of people get confused and I've had quite a few people shouting out "Oh-Ah", because they thought it was a pirate hat."

In a wide ranging interview that is still available to listen again, on the radio station's website, HERE around the 56 minute mark, Cllr Mackay discussed a number of important issues in the town, including anti-social behaviour, the council's budget and the Town Hall transformation, but not before clarifying that "If you look very closely, you'll notice that a mayor's hat is worn by a mayor and a pirates hat is worn by a Pirate. I am the mayor, not a pirate".