COUPLES wanting to tie the knot in a civil ceremony in West Somerset in front of more than ten guests will have to travel to Bridgwater or Taunton after September - unless they use one of six private venues licensed for weddings. Nuptials will be off the agenda in West Somerset District Council's chamber in Williton, which has been used by the district's registrar team for larger weddings of up to 60 guests for some years. The council is moving its planning department into the chamber after health and safety experts declared one of its buildings on the Killick Way complex unsafe. But the move leaves the register office without a location for weddings of more than ten guests - the number that can be accommodated in the register office itself. And this week the Somerset Registration Service said it only knew of the dilemma after reading about the council's plans in the Free Press. The service immediately contacted the council with its concerns and won an agreement that all current bookings would be honoured, with the last ceremony due to take place on September 10. Somerset County Council, which runs the registration service, has been looking for a new location for the West Somerset office for some years. It was due to be incorporated into the now abandoned joint county and district venture for a new civic complex and library on the market/ railway site in Minehead. Genevieve Branch, registration projects officer for the county council, said all couples contacting the service in West Somerset were now being informed of the change in venue circumstances and advised of the possible alternatives. And she said anyone wanting to marry before the September 10 deadline would have to complete the preliminaries by August 24 at the latest. The service maintains that most couples nowadays choose to marry in approved licensed premises. Figures shows that since the beginning of 2005, only 15 weddings have taken place in the Williton chamber, with a further 11 in the smaller register office. In comparison, a total of 60 weddings were held in outside venues approved for civil marriages. But Tory county councillors accused the ruling Liberal Democrat administration of failing to heed "years of warnings" and failing to provide adequate support and facilities for the registration service. They said that the use of the Williton chamber had always been regarded as a temporary measure. "We have warned the administration about this time and time again," said Tory leader Cllr Christopher Wolverson. "The situation should have been addressed years ago. The administration's solution to this is to point couples to alternative venues which many of them will be hard pressed to afford." But Cllr Sam Crabb, the county council's portfolio holder for resources, said: "West Somerset is fortunate to have several very popular licensed wedding venues where couples can tie the knot." He said a full list of licensed venues was available and the registration service would be happy to help couples find a suitable one. "Williton register office will be carrying on as normal for those who prefer a more intimate gathering. "Couples wanting a larger register office wedding are welcome to attend Taunton or Bridgwater." l See Kwinty's Comment on Page 4