Mayor of New York and Bermuda resident Michael Bloomberg has been attacked by journalists in the Big Apple for allegedly slipping off to the Island last weekend to play golf.

Mr. Bloomberg caused a storm by leaving the city for three days without telling the public where he had gone, leaving journalists scrambling to find out his whereabouts.

The tabloid New York Post reported yesterday that Mr. Bloomberg had been playing golf at the Mid Ocean Club, quoting an unnamed employee.

As the mayor refused to disclose where he had gone, the newspaper printed his picture on a milk carton as if he were a missing child.

In a story headlined "Bermuda Bloomy tees off on press," the Post reported yesterday: "Mayor Bloomberg wasn't missing over the weekend - he was lost in the Bermuda triangle".

Billionaire Bloomberg, who took over from Rudolph Giuliani in January, owns a home in Tuckers Town.

The paper quoted a Mid Ocean Club employee saying: "He's always here. It's not the first time he has been here this year."

At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr. Bloomberg refused to tell reporters where he had been, saying: "My personal life is my personal life. We went over this seven weeks ago and you are not going to get a different answer."

The paper reported cheekily that Mr. Bloomberg's "face was visibly reddened, as if he had spent a few days at the beach".

Mr. Bloomberg said he had signed an executive order giving full authority to his deputy Marc Shaw whenever he leaves the city.

Former mayor David Dinkins, who visited Bermuda last year for a pro-celebrity tennis tournament at Elbow Beach, defended Mr. Bloomberg for refusing to disclose where he had gone.

Previous mayors had told the public where they were when they left the city "but along comes Mike and he says 'I'm not going to do that'. I say, more power to him," said Mr. Dinkins.