TRADERS and residents of Stourport have united in opposition to regular funfairs being held in the town.

A council poll revealed 70 per cent of the public objected or strongly objected to them, while businesses voiced "extreme concern" about them and the potential for attracting anti-social behaviour.

Derek Fradgley, chairman of Stourport Town Centre Management Forum, said: "We did send in a letter of objection although we were not consulted. We feel there is already sufficient activity of this sort on the riverside but it is well-controlled and any anti-social behaviour is kept to a minimum."

A report on applications for alternative sites for funfairs was considered by Wyre Forest District Council's executive committee last Thursday.

In a report the head of cultural, leisure and commercial services Andrew Dickens said Worcester Road island, Kidderminster, had been the major site with four fairs allowed a year, over the past three years.

He said since the closure of the site as a car park, requests had been made by two regular funfair operators, Tommy Wilson and the Jennings Brothers, for other sites to be made available.

But he said it was not possible to allocate an alternative car park because of the demand for spaces. There had been complaints about noise and the current council policy was, with the exception of town carnivals, they should be excluded from open spaces and parks in Wyre Forest.

Members agreed the report should be referred to the community life, health and safety overview and scrutiny committee.