Dartmouth's hungry residents are more in need of feeding than French visitors on a twinning trip, one town councillor has declared.

But his fellow councillors disagreed as they voted to hand over £200 to help entertain the twinning contingent from Courseulles sur Mer, Normandy, when they arrive in the town in May.

The mayor and deputy mayor along with a group of residents from Courseulles sur Mer are due to arrive in Dartmouth in May to help celebrate 35 years of twinning.

The Dartmouth Anglo French Association had asked the town council to contribute towards the cost of entertaining their visitors – which includes a reception.

As councillors met this week, Steve Smith said: 'I don't think that is what grant aid is for.

'It is for groups that cannot finance themselves without help.

'I would prefer to see that £200 go to something like the foodbank.'

But when he put forward a council motion to force the council to think again about handing over the cash he could not even get a single fellow councillor to support him.