The owner of Newent's Crime Through Time Museum has confirmed that he is planning to relocate the tourist attraction away from the town.

The former police station and court house looks set to become a new day care nursery by the autumn, if permission for change of use is granted by the Forest of Dean District Council.

Owner Andy Jones said the need for more space had prompted the decision to move.

Mr Jones said the growing number of exhibits required double the 5,000 sq ft of space available at the present site.

He said: "It's a sad fact that we have simply outgrown the building, hence this reluctant decision to move to larger premises.

"I can confirm that a planning application has been lodged with the Forest of Dean District Council for a new use as a day care nursery, with ancillary residential accommodation.

"Taking into account that it was a former holiday hostel, prior to becoming a museum, I believe it's the perfect building in the perfect setting for a much-needed community asset."

Mr Jones said he was looking at a number of alternative sites for the museum, with a view to closing in Newent towards the end of October or beginning of November.

Mr Jones, who opened the museum in Newent five years ago, said he had not ruled out moving to a site not so far away from the town, but declined to discuss the details further.

Meanwhile, the museum continues to grow, with a new exhibition this season focusing on firearms.

Deputy mayor Bill Offord called some of the exhibits "a little too gruesome". There are displays on the Ku Klux Klan, Nazi Holocaust and serial killers.

However, he added: "If the museum moves, it will certainly be a loss for the tourist scene, with the National Birds of Prey Centre also moving out. It will affect the attractiveness of Newent as a tourist centre."