CAMPAIGNERS opposed to the town's cenotaph being relocated met borough councillors and officers to state their opposition.

But one of their leaders says nothing concrete came out of the briefing session and they are now waiting for the issue to be discussed and possibly voted on at a meeting of the full council next Thursday.

Plans to re-site the memorial containing the names of the Port's war dead within Civic Square as part of a £3m facelift scheme have caused uproar.

More than 5,000 people have so far signed a petition calling for the idea to be scrapped.

Although the facelift project is well advanced, opposition to shifting the cenotaph has become so strong that it will be thrashed out at a one-issue council meeting on March 17.

As a prelude to the meeting, representatives of a number of ex-service organisations campaigning to keep the memorial where it is were invited to outline their case to a gathering of more than 20 councillors on Monday night.

Yvonne Innes, who was there representing the Royal British Legion's Ellesmere Port branch, said: 'Apart from the legion we had people representing the Normandy Veterans' Association and the Italy Star Association.

'Jackie Dowling, the partner of Paul Callan, a Royal Marine killed in the Falklands and whose name is on the cenotaph, was also there.

'We were each given five minutes to present our case and then the councillors had the chance to ask one question apiece.

'Of course, we all said we could think of no justification whatsoever for moving the memorial.'

She added: 'For the first time we were shown pictures of how the square would look after the cenotaph was moved.

We were also told that if it is moved it would be taken away for a while to be restored and cleaned.

'This didn't impress us because it begs the question where we would hold some very important ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in the meantime.'

Yvonne went on: 'It was very difficult to gauge from the meeting what various councillors really think about this issue.

'However, from the soundings we have taken we think we have quite a few of them on our side.

'Hopefully, this extremely important matter will be resolved at the full council meeting. And if it comes to a straight vote, we want to see the names of those voting either way being officially recorded and then made public.'

A borough council spokesman said a vote on the issue would be held if members thought it necessary.