'Cruelty to maggots' stops Ron's charity stunt

Hastings Borough Council says Ron Reeve, 46, from Bexhill, would contravene the authority's Animal Welfare Charter if a maggot was injured or caused unnecessary distress.

Ron, a long-term sufferer of heart disease, planned to bathe in maggots outside the British Heart Foundation shop in Hastings later this month.

Now he says: "They told me that if I injure, squash or upset a maggot I can be prosecuted."

More than 400 had been pledged in sponsorship money but the charity now looks set to lose out.

Ron fears that another activity will not have the same impact: "There are not many people who would have the guts to sit in a bath of maggots. You have to do something unusual to attract the sponsors - everybody does a sponsored walk."

Hastings council spokesman Kevin Boorman said the maggots were protected under their "Animal Welfare Charter" - a nine page document which cabinet approved in 2002.

"Hastings Borough Council recognises that all animals are sentient creatures, capable of enjoying a state of well being and equally capable of suffering.

"In a civilised society people should advocate the welfare of animals and take whatever action is within their power to protect them from abuse and cruelty" reads the report.

"The council supports the view that all animals have the right to enjoy five basic freedoms:

'¢ Freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition

'¢ Freedom from physical discomfort and pain

'¢ Freedom from injury or disease

'¢ Freedom from fear and distress

'¢ Freedom to express their normal behavioural needs

"The council will fully enforce the statutory powers it has in respect of animal welfare."

Ron said: "I was going to sit in the bath and the maggots were going to be poured over me - it wasn't as if I was going to sit on them and squash them.

"I filled in an application form for a street collector's license and told them what I would be doing to collect the money. I have the license here - they issued me with it."

Hastings resident Brett McLean helped Ron organise the event, he said: "We were originally told that we needed 10m of public liability insurance, this was in case a maggot escaped the bath and someone was to slip on it."

"It was only when I phoned the council to check on the detail one week later that we were told we couldn't use the maggots at all."

One helpful licensing officer suggested bathing with baked beans, custard or "naked ladies" as an alternative.

The proposal brought a smile to Ron's face but the new plan was quickly dropped after the police told him that the ladies could be arrested for indecent exposure under the public decency act.

"I believe it was an off-the-cuff remark that, with hindsight, may not have meant to be taken seriously" said the spokesman.

"The council will be sticking by its policy. People do not need to use maggots or any other live creatures for this sort of activity because some people could be offended by the use of maggots, snails, slugs etc."

r The council are currently promoting their summer-holiday play scheme "fishing4u".

Contrary to the Animal Welfare Charter section 5, "Leading by Example", the children are being supplied with live-bait'¦