Town mayor Mike Le Mesurier has been given a public ticking off for not leaving things to the professionals.

He asked a friend to investigate the possibilities of having solar power heat the planned swimming pool, but did not tell anyone.

And that angered town council member Andy Gunn.

"The mayor has done a wonderful job over the years gathering valuable information to help get this pool built.

"But we have now put the job in the hands of the professionals and that is where it should stay. "The time has long gone when we can have casual input like this.

"We must know who is doing what and why or we will never get the pool built, he said.

He was backed by finance chairman Mike Welply, who said: "This was done without the consent of the council. In the early days the mayor's contributions in this way were second to none but we have gone beyond that stage now."

Mr Le Mesurier said: "It was being done free of charge and I didn't think it would do any harm.

"I certainly apologise for having upset anyone." Mr Le Mesurier started off the latest campaign for a pool ten years ago and has led all the moves to achieving it. He chairs the swimming pool committee.

The pool, financed by the sale of council land for housing, will be built beside Thame sports and arts centre in Oxford Road. It has full planning permission and work will start later this year.

A swimming pool for Thame has been on the cards since just after the First World War.

It was rejected because of a cost the reason other plans have failed until now. Public collections were organised in the 1920s and 1930s to raise cash for a pool, but nothing happened and there was an outcry over where the money went.

Another move to get a pool was started in the 1950s but this failed because of cost.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, it was proposed that the open air pool at Wenman School now Lord Williams's Lower School to be expanded to become a public pool. These fell through, but ten years ago, town councillor Mike Le Mesurier started the latest campaign. Through his efforts, Pickenfield was sold for housing for 7.2m to finance the pool and other recreation projects.