PROTESTERS lined the streets of Dulverton last Saturday to make a stand against the threatened closure of the town's recycling centre.

A march organised by the Dulverton and Young People's Project attracted around 100 people.

And Dulverton Town Council chairman Cllr Chris Nelder said the support shown locally had been "brilliant".

The recycling centre - the smallest in Somerset - is one of four sites earmarked for possible closure before next April as part of major cost cutting measures being put forward by Somerset County Council.

A further four, as yet unidentified, sites are also under threat as the county council tries to deliver £43 million of savings across all services.

Cllr Nelder, who threw himself into the spirit of the protest by pushing a mini dustcart on the march, said it was important that the event had been organised by Dulverton's young people.

"It is the youth who will suffer in the future if this facility is lost," he said.

"Once something like this goes, it will be lost forever."

Campaigners have organised a petition and have also bombarded local county councillor Frances Nicholson and West Somerset's MP Ian Liddell-Grainger with letters.

Parish council clerks and chairmen from across southern Exmoor are due to have a private meeting with county council chiefs next week to discuss the possible closure.

Cllr Nelder said he hoped a way could be found to keep the centre open.

"We're certainly not giving up and are urging people to write to Cllr Nicholson or Mr Liddell-Grainger and continue the protest.

"We know Dulverton is the smallest centre in the county but it also serves the largest area.

"And the amount of material recycled from the site is amongst the highest - around 79 per cent. We can't help having the smallest population."

Cllr Nelder said if the recycling centre closed, more waste would have to go to landfill, there would be more fly tipping and there would be additional strain on the regular weekly doorstep waste collection.