WATCHET is preparing to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next year - but civic leaders have pledged to keep a tight rein on the public purse.

Town councillors debated this week how the 60th anniversary should be marked.

And although they have yet to set a budget for any events or activities over the four-day holiday next June, they agreed that any spending of council funds would have to be limited.

The issue was raised at the authority's monthly meeting on Monday by Cllr Loretta Whetlor, on behalf of her husband Mike who is also a member of the council.

She said a diamond anniversary had only been reached by a monarch twice before.

"It will not happen again in my lifetime and unlikely even in our children's or grandchildren's lifetimes," said Cllr Whetlor.

"This is going to be very, very important. We didn't do anything for the royal wedding but the Queen is held in high regard by most people in this town."

Cllr Whetlor and her husband had suggested marking the milestone with a firework display.

But council chairman Cllr Sally de Renzy-Martin said the authority would have to be very careful.

She said the recent firework display marking the marina's tenth anniversary and the Summertime Festival had been paid for by public subscription.

"We are going to have to tread very carefully as we cannot be seen to be letting public money go up in smoke - literally."

However, Cllr Whetlor said she and her husband had never suggested the council should fund a firework display.

"My main concern is that we can have loads of good ideas but we have to set a budget - we need to know how much public money we want to spend," she said.

Cllr Dave Westcott suggested that the council should take the lead in the celebrations to ensure that "something happens" but that it worked with other groups in the town.

Members of the council's tourism and leisure committee will consider ways of celebrating the jubilee in the next couple of weeks and bring initial ideas back to the full council.