AT LEAST 8,000 people have signed a petition against the National Trust's controversial proposals to open a café within the grounds of historic Dunster Castle.

And protesters in the honeypot tourist village have launched a new website giving people worldwide the chance to link up and talk about their campaigns and disputes with the charity.

The Free Press broke the story of the trust's plans and the concerns of some traders in July.

Since then the charity has commissioned research on the likely impact of a café, which opponents fear will turn the grade one listed castle into a one-stop visitor attraction and lead to tourists bypassing the village altogether.

The trust believes the proposed 50-seater facility would increase the 115,000 visitors it attracts each year by a further 10,000 and says its needs the additional revenue to help cover annual running costs.

But Christine Moore of the Dunster Action Group said those against the café wanted the trust to look at alternatives to increasing revenue and visitor numbers.

She said repeated requests to meet with trust officials to discuss other options had been refused.

Mrs Moore said the petition had just two weeks to run and many of those who had already signed were trust members.

She said banners currently displayed in the village highlighting the controversy would be soon be replaced with new posters advertising the new website - http://www.nationallyuntrustworthy.co.uk">www.nationallyuntrustworthy.co.uk.

"The website highlights the castle's proposals and the effect they will have on the village," said Mrs Moore.

"It will also have an online petition and keep our many supporters up to date with developments. It will give anyone anywhere in the country the opportunity to link up and talk about their campaigns and disputes with the National Trust."

The first phase of research commissioned by the trust into the likely impact of a café has been completed, with Barnstaple-based consultants Turquoise Thinking charged with looking at the effect on village shops, cafés and visitor numbers.

Almost 400 people were questioned - both visitors to the castle and the village.

The second stage of the study now underway will involve in-depth interviews with representatives of local traders and other stakeholders, including the Exmoor Tourist Association, the Crown Estate, the Exmoor National Park Authority, Dunster Parish Council and elected members of West Somerset and Somerset County Councils.

The research is expected to be completed in late autumn.