ANGRY shopkeepers in Watchet have hit back at suggestions that the town needs a lick of paint to spruce it up.

They say new businesses which have opened in the town recently have already started to make a difference.

The counter attack has come following comments by John Richards, chairman of Watchet and Area Association of Commerce, Enterprise and Tourism, who said last week: "There is a lot of enthusiasm building in the town this year. Now all we need is a lick of paint around the town."

He was responding to a call from Dave Westcott, new chairman of Watchet Town Council, who said the town must sparkle if it is to prosper.

For the full story, see the West Somerset edition of this week's Somerset County Gazette.