WYRE Forest District Council is preparing to prosecute Bewdley Town Football Club over the club's decision not to lower its floodlights.

The floodlights are supposed to be brought down into the horizontal position when the sports field is not in use.

Club chairman, Geoff Edwards, said the Ribbesford Meadows-based club would be forced to fold if it meant lowering the floodlights at the end of every match.

He took the issue to the planning inspectorate but was told last week he had lost the appeal. Now he faces court action from the council.

Mr Edwards said: "I have told the council that we could be put out of business whichever way this goes.

"We will be fined if we don't bring the lights down, which we won't be able to pay. If it goes to court we will have to hire a solicitor and we don't have the money for this.

"As it is, we are a volunteer-based club and don't have the time and the manpower to keep bringing down the lights."

Mr Edwards said the club would risk breaking the law until the end of the season, when they would have some "breathing space".

He added: "If they saw sense they would meet us halfway but they are being too rigid. It seems as though it's a game to them that they have to win but, for us, it's far more serious."

Conservative councillor Stephen Clee, cabinet member for planning, regeneration and prosperity, defended the council's position.

Mr Clee said the club had not kept to an agreement which had been made clear to them before planning permission was given to erect the floodlights. He explained the floodlights had to be lowered so they could not be seen in that part of the green belt.

Mr Clee told the Shuttle/Times & News: "The council has made it perfectly clear that we would take them to court if they violated the agreement."

He added: "The council has bent over backwards to be helpful to the club but we have policies we have to adhere to. If we didn't, we would set a precedent that we would not be able to defend down the line."