A councillor has apologised after she was spotted online shopping during a full council meeting.

Hertsmere Cllr Meenal Sachdev was recorded surfing the Internet for goods while a full council meeting unfolded.

During the meeting, a range of issues were discussed, including plans to build “metal container” homes in Crown Road, Borehamwood.

The video was posted on social media, prompting calls for her to “resign or be sacked” by users.

But Cllr Sachdev has said she has received a number of “abusive, threatening, and nasty” emails and messages since the video surfaced.

Daniel Linton, who took the video, said he believed the councillor wasn’t paying full attention, despite voting on motions that were being debated by the council chamber.

He captioned the video “Nice to know that residents are being listened to, obviously online shopping is very important”. Before publishing the recording online, he had messaged Cllr Sachdev with his concerns over her use on the Internet.

Labour councillor Michelle Vince, who was at the meeting, described Cllr Sachdev’s actions as “shameful” when she saw the video.

She wrote on Facebook: “You could not make this up. Resident filming Cllr Meenal Sachdev during full council tonight. The residents watch on as she trawls through Amazon and throws her arm up to vote. Shameful”.

Cllr Sachdev, who is a Conservative councillor for Hillside ward in Borehamwood, has acknowledged that she was “naïve” to do what she did and has apologised.

Mr Linton says that he observed the under-fire councillor online shopping for an “hour” but she is adamant that she was only doing this for “eight or nine minutes”.

She says the rest of the time online was spent “researching her speech about the local Woman’s Refuge so that everything was verified”.

The chamber had been discussing a motion put forward by Hertsmere Labour leader Jeremy Newmark to change the start times council meetings from 7.30pm to 7pm.

She said: “I admit I was shopping online. My six-year-old son needs a pair of white shorts for Friday so while all the nonsense over changing the times of meetings was debated, I went online. I also bought him a pair of school socks because he had been complaining about holes.

“I’m not justifying what I did but I think it is wrong that so many people have been quick to judge me just on this.

“I accept it was wrong but people should have come to talk to me in person,” she added.

Hertsmere Borough Council did not comment citing the incident as a "member issue".