CONCERNS were raised by residents and councillors at Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council's full meeting this week.

Held in the Old Courthouse on June 6, an agenda of issues and plans were raised.

Resident Gaynor Brown addressed the hall and urged councillors to relaunch a £10,000 project which aims to bring coaches back into the town.

A petition has been signed by 50 businesses in Burnham backing the call to bring back Project Coach, which encourages coach companies to stop in the town as a tourist destination.

This year, Burnham was named as Coach Friendly Destination of the Year in the National Coach Tourism Awards, with the team behind the scheme named as Ian Jefferies and Les Barber.

The project is claimed to have stalled because funding ran out.

Gaynor Brown said: "We sometimes welcomed 10- maybe 15- coaches everyday and each of these brought 50 to 70 visitors spending money in our local businesses.

"That's a total of 700 people per day.

"Now despite winning the most prestigious award in the coach industry, our coach traffic has drastically reduced.

"Project Coach is being stalled.

"Following the loss of 50 per cent of the town's footfall from the closure of Morrisons, we should be pulling out all the stops."

Gaynor said that Ian Jefferies and Les Barber should be allowed to get on with their job.

"Ian Jefferies and Les Barber, who ran the project, vastly increased our tourism traffic- they proved it.

"Why are barriers being put in the way of a simple agreement now to allow them to get on with the job?

"This can't wait until the end of July or August- if you don't make a decision now the season will be over."

Town Clerk Denise Emery responded by saying that Project Coach has never been asked to be put on an agenda and it was not run by the council, but by BIARS.

A question was asked by a member of the public as to what Project Coach even is.

Mayor councillor Michael Clarke said the coach friendly town status was a great achievement.

Other issues raised at the meeting included purchasing new mayor chains and an outdoor gym in Apex Park.

Councillor Mike Facey said: "There is currently antisocial behaviour in the exact area where the outdoor gym is proposed.

"Perhaps the local lads can get together and do some exercise instead?"

A response is being waited on from Sedgemoor District Council.

Councillor Janet Keen also voiced concerns about the cut grass in the town being blown and clogging up drains.

"We appreciate the grass being cut but it is clogging up drains," she said.

"I think the extra cost is worth it and could this be reconsidered by the contractors?"