MORE summonses may be issued to businesses that have still not paid their levy to the Dartmouth Busi­ness Improvement District.

As South Hams Council sets about collecting the final outstanding amounts, support services team leader Sonia Powell revealed about £20,000 was still outstanding.

'I can't confirm that no more summonses will be issued, as we continue to issue them when the recovery process reaches that stage, so it is an ongoing process,' she said this week. 'We have not filed a summons list at this stage.'

Meanwhile, a prominent opponent of the BID is fighting the levy imposed on his holiday let business in the courts.

Colin Payne, 72, of Deer Park Homes Village, Stoke Fleming, owns a holiday let at Norton Park on the outskirts of Dartmouth.

He was at Plymouth Magistrates Court last Friday to answer a summons from South Hams Council over an unpaid £150 levy bill.

The council was asking magistrates to impose a liability order on Mr Payne for the £150 plus £80 costs.

Ms Powell outlined the council's application, which Mr Payne opposed. The case was adjourned to Friday, May 29, at 10am.

Four other summonses on the court list, adjourned from an earlier hearing, were withdrawn by the council.

Miss Powell said Drs Bann and Lockerbie, of Victoria Road, Dart­mouth, who owed £150; Dartmouth Insurance Brokers Ltd, c/o Dart Valley Railway, Paignton, which owed £150; Ms R Morgan, of Lower Fairview Road, Dart­mouth, who owed £150; and Mrs A Lee, of Water Tower Road, Broadstone, Poole, Dorset, who also owed £150, had now paid their levies.

Seven other businesses, which were also summonsed to appear in court, also had their cases withdrawn.

The names of those businesses were not mentioned in court.

* A Trade Local campaign due to be launched this weekend by the BID has been postponed.

A spokesman said: 'A lot of people wanted to be at the show but could not attend in April, plus we thought that a bit more time to organise some activities would be a good move.

'The new dates are Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30.'