PARISH councillors in Stock-bridge have hit out at the continuing delay to plans for a new nursing home in the village which is leaving the borough short of nursing home beds.

Wildlife surveys, including one to check out the possible presence of bats on the Little Dean Nursing Home site, have meant delays to the application going before the Government. Speaking at this month's parish council meeting, chairman David Baseley said: "This is absurd. They are saying there may be one bat. We are being absurd as a society if we let this go on just for a bat which nobody has found any evidence of so far when we are crying out for nursing home beds."

Cllr Janet Whiteley added: "It does make you wonder who is more important - people or bats."

The parish council is now set to write to Romsey MP Sandra Gidley, secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Margaret Beckett and secretary of state for health Alan Milburn in an attempt to speed up the process.