A TOWN councillor has refuted claims that she asked for the owner of Wotton Animal Centre, who has since shut her sanctuary, to be removed from the doorway of a shop.

According to Cllr June Cordwell, Veronica Bruce, who had been collecting money, and a man selling the Big Issue, had left little room for customers to pass to and from Wotton-under-Edge Co-op premises.

She says she asked a shop assistant whether she was aware of the bottleneck being caused in the doorway and whether they had permission to be there - to which the assistant replied it was nothing to do with them.

On leaving she said she was confronted by Miss Bruce and the question was raised as to whether a licence was needed for collecting in the doorway.

She believed that in the meantime the assistant had spoken to a more senior member of staff and then someone spoke to Miss Bruce, giving a different impression of what she had said.

Cllr Cordwell said: "The issue started simply with my remark to a shop assistant on the partial blocking of the doorway with collectors for two different causes present.

"I certainly did not demand to see the manager, nor did I see them or ask them to remove anyone.

"I was most shocked by Veronica's subsequent announcement of her closure and I still hope she will reconsider her decision."

Last week Miss Bruce claimed that Cllr Cordwell had told her she was going to have her removed. This week she told the Gazette she stood by her version of events.

And Wotton Animal Rescue remains closed. Miss Bruce had put up a sign notifying the public she had shut her operation at Monkham Thorns, near Charfield, though the sign has since been removed.

She told the Gazette: "It is not correct that I have re-opened. I have removed the sign but that is because the phone hasn't stopped ringing. People have been ringing to ask me to open. I have been inundated. Everybody is saying that I have to open and I shouldn't stop.

"I have got to go on and re-home all the animals that I have and the animals that were dumped over Christmas. When you are full up with animals you still have to find homes for them."