ANIMAL lovers have vowed to risk arrest after they were driven from their town centre stall for blocking the pavement.

In the last five years, Animal Life Support has collected more than 31,000 tins of dog and cat food outside Tesco, in Newlands, High Wycombe.

But on Friday, the group was told to move on by police, who said they were causing an obstruction.

Animal Life Support, based in Lime Avenue, High Wycombe, does not hold a licence to operate but distributes food to more than 20 animal charities throughout the district, including Chilterns Dog Rescue and the High Wycombe Cat Protection League.

Group member Nigel Cook, 43, said: "The policeman told us we were breaking the law and said that if we didn't move within five minutes he would arrest us.

"We showed him all the thank you letters we have had from animal groups but he wasn't interested."

Nigel said all six members of the group have vowed to continue their collections and are prepared to be arrested if necessary.

A police spokesman said: "We can't allow every group who wants to collect money for a good cause to set up tables in the town centre.

"We have tended to take a lenient view of registered charities doing this in the past but in this case the gentleman concerned could not prove he was from a registered charity."

A Tesco spokeswoman said they might allow future collections outside the store if a request was made in writing.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.