Plans to sell off Bromyard's old public hall site and clear a £20,000 debt have hit another snag, this time caused by the foot and mouth crisis.

The snag is in the shape of 50 or 60 tonnes of rubble, which must be removed from the New Road site before it can go on the property market.

Bromyard Town Council is still waiting to hear from the government whether the land can be sold to cover the overspend on the new public hall, off Rowberry Street.

Under the Local Government Act 1933 the planned use of money raised by the sale of any council-owned land needs government approval.

But even with approval any sale could still be crippled by the rubble, which is all that remains of the recently demolished former public hall.

Town councillor Richard James said that a farmer who had expressed interest in the rubble could not leave his farm or allow trailers on to his property because of the foot and mouth crisis.

Coun James added: "The rubble has to go."

He is appealing for anyone who is interested in the rubble to get in touch and remove it as soon as possible.

Coun James said the rubble could prove to be useful for building projects, such as the laying of driveways.

With the rubble removed and the government go-ahead the land could then be sold to cover the debt, which was incurred partly because of extra costs and delays caused by an archeological excavation at the Rowberry Street site in 1999.

Estate agents warned the public hall committee that, to get maximum value from the New Road land, the old hall had to go.

The land, free of the hall and the rubble, is expected to fetch anything between £17,000 and £40,000.

Coun James has said that the land was within the development boundary of Bromyard and could prove a suitable location for housing.

Anyone wishing to take advantage of the free rubble, should phone 07966 172028.