I am the real mayor of Stafford, insists joker James

But now James Billington has gone one step further and released a video in which he insists he is indeed the real civic official.

His Twitter account @mayorofstafford fooled people into thinking he was the mayor of the county town and he even posted a picture of him 'opening' Alton Towers.

As well as hitting headlines across Britain, the Express & Star story on his antics went global, being reported in the US and in Asia where the story appeared in newspapers and on channels such as Fox News. It was even featured by Time magazine. Now Mr Billington, a comedian from Nottingham, has issued a video entitled 'A statement from the Mayor of Stafford'.

The four-minute clip starts with fanfare music and the Union flag before showing the bogus mayor sat in a throne-like red leather upholstered chair wearing a suit and 'mayoral chain'.

It starts with him saying: "Greetings loyal people of Staffordshire and beyond. My name is James Billington and I am your mayor. Welcome to mayor HQ."

He says he has an 'important message' before adding: "You may recall in the media in March 2014 there was a story about an imposter mayor claiming my title as the mayor of Stafford."

The video then shows clips from TV shows including Channel 5 chat show the Wright Stuff with host Matthew Wright, retired athlete Iwan Thomas, Kian from Westlife and TV personality Anne Diamond discussing Mr Billington's Alton Towers hoax. News clips from America's Fox News and Huffington Post are also shown with panellists discussing how his Twitter account 'fooled' the town into believing he was the real mayor.

Mr Billington then tells the camera: "International coverage like this has undoubtedly raised the profile of Stafford. However it has also brought the tradition of mayoralty into question. This is why I am talking to you now.

"I would like to reassure you that I am the mayor of Stafford. Now there are those in the borough council who do not believe this, they believe another person has this title. Let me assure you again I am the true mayor of Stafford."

In response to a challenge by the real mayor, Councillor Angela Loughran, to meet at Stafford Castle, Mr Billington suggests they could complete a series of contests including who can cut most ribbons in a minute, guessing the weight of his 'mayor chain' and a race from the Ancient High House to Broad Eye Windmill. In a swipe to Staffordshire County Council's new Staffordshire Place HQ, which has suffered a number of building defects since opening, he says: "Or how about we play a game of dodge the falling masonry in the new council building?"

He says he is 'up for the challenge' and then gets up and leaves his room, which has been mocked up to look like it was within Stafford Castle.

The camera then captures him looking out over the town from the castle before screaming: "Come on!"

The video has been uploaded to YouTube and has already had 3,200 views.

Since gaining international fame, Mr Billington's mayor Twitter account has gone from just 100 followers to more than 1,000. He is still active and has been hiding 'Mayor of Stafford' mugs around the town and tweeting clues to where they can be found. The hoax first came to light after the fake mayor tweeted: "Sharing a meeting with the Mayor of Shrewsbury today. Never liked him. Reminds me of one of the bad guys from Superman 2."

But not only did this provoke a complaint from the Shropshire council, it also saw a backlash online. At the time, Councillor Loughran said: "Nobody minds a bit of fun on social media but it is unacceptable that this person is purporting to be the mayor of Stafford and making disparaging remarks about another mayor."

Today she added: "Since this all started I have continued with my civic duties promoting the great work of volunteers in the many charities and groups across the borough and raising thousands of pounds for my nominated charities, which are the Stafford and District Bereavement and Loss Support Service, Homestart Stafford and Staffordshire Women's Aid.

"I wonder how much the fake mayor has raised for charities in the local area?"