A Lib Dem councillor has apologised 'unreservedly ' after he was caught playing Scrabble during a meeting . Martin Elengorn was snapped playing the game on his iPad by a Tory rival on Richmond Council who circulated the picture among council colleagues . Councillor Elengorn spent ten minutes playing Scrabble at the budget meeting before a party colleague passed him a note warning he had been rumbled . Martin Elengorn was snapped playing the game on his iPad by a Tory rival on Richmond Council who circulated the picture among council colleagues . And the 70-year-old admitted the furore that followed has put him off the game . He told the MailOnline that he had 'sought solace ' in the app during an opening speech by Conservative deputy council leader Geoffrey Samuel . 'Councillor Samuel was giving a speech in a bombastic and aggressive manor and , to be somewhat blunt , I 'd run our of budget agendas and I unwisely sought solace in the Scrabble board , ' he said . ' I admit it could be seen as ( not representing those who voted for him ) . I do apologise unreservedly if it created the wrong impression . The councillor and keen Scrabble player said the incident had put him off playing the game for the foreseeable future . 'In fact I was listening to every word he said . ' Mr Samuel , who was opening the annual budget and council tax meeting , called Mr Elengorn 's behaviour 'outrageous ' . 'He is paid , not an inconsiderable amount of money , to represent his residents and not play silly games . 'This is typical of his arrogant attitude and the flippant way he takes his public duties . 'If it was me , I would consider stepping down . ' Conservative councillor Helen Hill , who took the photograph , said she was 'shocked ' when she noticed him playing the game . Councillor Helen Hill ( left ) was 'shocked ' to see Councillor Elengorn ( right ) playing Scrabble during the budget meeting and took the photograph . 'It was certainly a bit of a surprise , ' she said . ' I did n't think it as a great idea to do right in he middle of a council meeting for the budget . ' Councillor Hill said she decided to take the photograph as ' a comment on what he was doing when he should have been listening . 'He is just an eccentric individual , ' she added . Lib-Dem leader Stephen Knight said : ' I think Martin recognises it was not the wisest thing to be doing in a council meeting . Tory MP Nigel Mills was forced to apologise after he was caught playing games on his iPad during a select committee hearing last December - as the Commons authorities launched a mole hunt for whoever caught him on camera . Photographs published by The Sun showed Nigel Mills enjoying online hit Candy Crush Saga during a Work and Pensions Committee evidence session . The Amber Valley MP , who has been issued with a tablet at the taxpayers ' expense , initially told the newspaper he would merely 'try ' not to be diverted by the game again . But in a statement he said : ' I apologise unreservedly for my behaviour at the committee meeting and realise it fell short of what is expected of a Member of Parliament . ' 'But I 'd like to think people would be more interested in the content of the meeting than whether people were playing Scrabble . ' Councillor Elengorn , who was a 'competent ' Scrabble player said the whole incident had put him off wanting to play again . ' I have a routine , once a fortnight my brother and I play Scrabble- but he usually wins . ' 'But I did n't look at the game again for a few days after this , I was rather put off it for a while . ' John O'Connell , director of the Taxpayers ' Alliance , said : 'Councillors receive a hefty allowance to represent the views of their constituents and hold the council to account — neither of which are achieved by playing Scrabble . ' A spokesman for Richmond Council said they would not be commenting on the incident . It comes just weeks after Conservative councillor Eric Nicholson came underfire for spending two hours on his mobile phone during a debate at Kendal County Hall in Cumbria . The member for Cockermouth North played solitaire , checked his bank account and caught up with emails while hiding his Blackberry under the table during the meeting where a rise in council tax was being discussed . Mr Nicholson , who was elected in 1997 , admitted after the meeting that he had been using his phone but insisted he was still 'concentrating ' . Two months earlier , Tory MP Nigel Mills admitted having a ‘ game or two ’ of Candy Crush on his taxpayer-funded iPad during an important meeting in Parliament . Mr Mills , the MP for Amber Valley in Derbyshire , was supposed to be listening to experts give evidence at a meeting of the Commons Work and Pensions Committee in December . However , he spent much of the two-and-a-half-hour meeting closely studying his iPad and swiping the screen as he tried to complete levels of the popular game .
Martin Elengorn was snapped playing Scrabble at Richmond Council . Tory rival Kendal County Hall was 'shocked ' when noticed him playing the game . Elengorn has since apologised 'unreservedly ' to his local residents . Politican said the incident had put him off playing forforeseeable future .