VISITORS to the district council's website were left puzzled after an announcement appeared declaring that councillors would be spending Christmas day discussing scripts from TV comedies Monty Python's Flying Circus and Yes Minister.

Earlier this week the site declared that a meeting would be held at 7.30pm on December 25 in the council chamber, attended by all councillors, in which certain scenes would be discussed.

Alongside the announcement, extracts of the scripts were also published, which included jokes about a spoof election, political bureaucracy, and the Python's famous 'dead parrot sketch'.

However the page was swiftly removed after the Guardian questioned its purpose.

A spokeswoman for the authority said they been published as part of a Christmas training exercise.

It comes just weeks after the council accidentally published a large amount of confidential details such as National Insurance numbers and addresses of men applying to be taxi drivers in the district.

THE DEAD PARROT SKETCH (Courtesy of Epping Forest District Council)

A customer enters a pet shop.

Mr. Praline: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint.

(The owner does not respond.)

Mr. Praline: 'Ello, Miss?

Owner: What do you mean "miss"?

Mr. Praline: {pause} I'm sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint!

Owner: We're closin' for lunch.

Mr. Praline: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this parrot what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.

Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, the Norwegian Blue...What's,uh...What's wrong with it?

Mr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead, that's what's wrong with it!

Owner: No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting.

YES MINISTER

Jim Hacker: But the broad strategy [in reforming local government] is to cut ruthlessly at waste while leaving essential services intact.

Ludovic Kennedy: Well, that is what your predecessor said. Are you saying that he failed?

Jim Hacker: Please, let me finish, because we must be absolutely clear about this, and I would be quite frank with you, the plain fact of the matter is that at the end of the day it is the right, no the duty, of the elected government in the House of Commons to ensure that government policies, the policies on which we were elected and for which we have a mandate, the policies after all for which the people voted, are the policies which finally when the national cake has been divided up, and may I remind you we as a nation don't have unlimited wealth, so we can't pay ourselves more than we've earned, are the policies..... I'm sorry what was the question again?