A GROUP of animal lovers has been left devastated after police ordered them to quit their town centre stall after five years.

Animal Life Support, which has collected more than 31,000 tins of dog and cat food outside Tesco, in Newlands, High Wycombe, was told its stall was obstructing the public.

But group workers have sent a defiant message to police, claiming they will set up in the same spot again and are prepared to be arrested for their cause.

Group member Nigel Cook, 43, said the service had become a local institution. He said: "We have been established outside Tesco for five years and we have a large following."

He added: "I am prepared to be arrested. We are going back to Tesco, but we are not prepared to say when."

Animal Life Support, based in Lime Avenue, High Wycombe, does not hold a licence to operate, but distributes food to more than 20 needy organisations throughout the district, including Chilterns Dog Rescue and the High Wycombe Cat Protection League. Group member Anne Thomas said it will not be applying to the Charity Commission for a licence because there was too much red-tape involved.

Mr Cook said volunteers were canvassing support for animals as usual on Friday when Sgt Bill Snelling, of High Wycombe police, told them they were classed: 'as an obstruction of the public highway'.

Mr Cook added: "He 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. He said he was clearing up the area."

Sgt Snelling 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."

He added: "Just because the problem hasn't been dealt with in the past doesn't condone it now."

A Tesco spokeswoman confirmed that the store's personnel manager Ann Snelling, wife of Sgt Snelling, had dealt with the situation on Friday.

The spokeswoman said: "The collectors were moved along by the police - but that had nothing to do with our store. Following that they asked if they could collect outside our store because where they normally collect is not our property. We had to say 'no' on Friday, but we have not given them a 'no' indefinitely. We ask that all charities put their requests in writing."

A spokesman for Wycombe District Council said it liked local groups and charities using the town in this way and that it was currently consulting with the country council about appropriate locations.

A police spokesman said: "Mrs Snelling's position at Tesco had no bearing whatsoever on the course of actions that was taken."

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