MINEHEAD mayor Cllr Sanda Slade is urging “hundreds of people” to picket a Somerset Fire and Rescue service drop-in exhibition in the town’s library on Thursday to express their feelings on the “catastrophic” possible closure of Porlock fire station.

And she said that, if the library proves too small to hold all the protesters, Minehead Town Council will provide larger alternative accommodation for a “proper meeting” to be held.

Campaigners will be joined by a contingent from Porlock who will stand in silent protest outside the library when the exhibition opens at 11am.

“We will be there for about 30 minutes and then disperse,” said Porlock district councillor Andy Milne. “This consultation is really for Minehead residents.”

Cllr Slade told the Free Press: “The town council supports the SOS Porlock group in their protests about the proposed closure because we believe such a closure, as well as being catastrophic for the residents of Porlock, will also have an adverse effect on fire cover in Minehead and other surrounding areas.”

She said that the fire authority had stressed that next Thursday’s event was an exhibition and not a public meeting, and the views of West Somerset residents will only be considered by the fire authority if they fill in a consultation form available at drop-in exhibitions, council offices and libraries.

“It has been made clear that these written responses are the only things which will be taken into account when making decisions,” she said.

The mayor, who took a Minehead council deputation to the recent Porlock protest march, said the hundreds of people who turned up out for that found there was no forum for them to air their views.

She said that although the exhibition would be in Minehead for four hours – from 11am to 3pm – the library was small and the number of people able to make their views known would be very limited.