Leominster Town Council has refused to help a group trying to raise £40,000 to take Herefordshire Council to court over polytunnels.

Town councillors are to write to the Wickton Action Group in support of its campaign, but say a donation to its fighting fund would be "ultra vires" (beyond their authority).

The group, based in a hamlet near Stoke Prior, is taking action to get polytunnel developments subject to planning permission.

The parish of Hope-under-Dinmore has given £200 to the campaign, but Leominster councillors - who have fields of strawberry tunnels on their patch, with more planned - said they could not help.

Peter Jones and John Thomas, both town and county councillors, claimed the action would be ultra vires.

Councillor Pauline Davies appealed for cash for the Wickton group, which is seeking a High Court review of Herefordshire Council policy - its growers' voluntary code on polytunnels.

"I feel we should support the group," said Coun Davies. "We are looking at the death of tourism in this county."

The council agreed to write in support of the group's action but explaining it could not give money.

Hope-under-Dinmore parish councillor, Alastair Goodwin, said: "Before we made our donation we sought a ruling from the Herefordshire Association of Local Councils.

"It is perfectly legal within rules that we have complied with."

Deborah Jones of the Wickton Action Group, said she was "disappointed" by the Leominster decision.

She said the group had raised £25,000. It had to raise enough money to cover its own court costs and the council's costs if the action did not succeed.

Large donations could be returned and smaller donations would be given to charities if the group won its case and the council paid costs.