PLANS to link Malmesbury with its namesake in South Africa have been delayed because the councillor championing the link was in right town but on the wrong continent.

Town councillor Ray Sanderson was furious that other councillors refused to back the twinning plan while he was 6,000 miles away with civic leaders from Malmesbury, South Africa.

Coun Sanderson recently spent three weeks in the country on holiday with his wife Margaret.

As part of his trip, he spent three days in the South African city of Malmesbury, where town councillors and business people are keen to develop a friendship link with Malmesbury UK.

The councillor left England at at the end of April intending to give a formal presentation about Malmesbury after the twinning association had proposed developing friendly links with the South Africans.

He said he thought Malmesbury town councillors would agree to the link at the council meeting on May 11, but was fuming when he heard it was decided to delay the issue until next month's meeting.

He said: "When I arrived in Malmesbury, South Africa, I got an e-mail from town councillor Glynn Davies saying that after consideration the resolution would not be put forward. It was because a councillor wasn't happy with the wording of the resolution and the fact that I wouldn'tbe there. But they knew I was there so why didn't they tell me before. There was going to be a gathering of people, schools and churches for a reception where I was going to give a presentation about Malmesbury . I felt absolutely gutted and embarrassed."

Town clerk Phil Rice said the friendship link proposal was taken off the agenda because councillors felt coun Sanderson should be there to make the case for a link and because the resolution needed better wording.