A PARISH council meeting at Brompton descended into noisy chaos on Monday in a bitter dispute over a bus stop in the village.

Stephen Bosomworth, fighting to clear his name of an allegation that he threatened to turn a hosepipe on people waiting for a bus, demanded the resignation of council chairman Reg Collins and the sacking of clerk Paul Atkin in protest over their handling of the issue.

The meeting had earlier become so heated, with Mr Bosomworth and his wife Anita insisting on trying to address members as they considered last month's minutes, that Coun Collins was forced to adjourn the proceedings for the matter to be discussed privately because of what were said to be legal implications.

Before the public was excluded Coun Bert Langthorne, who chaired the February meeting in the absence of both the chairman and vice-chairman, referred to an apparent omission from the minutes concerning the bus stop issue and said: "There has been something going on out of this council which I am not happy about."

Coun Collins warned Mr and Mrs Bosomworth that they could not use the video camera and recording equipment they had brought with them and said: "Members of the public are not allowed to shout and speak at meetings. You are completely out of order."

The 30-minute private session ended with parish councillor Dave Winter storming out of the village hall in Water End indicating that he had resigned.

He has made no further comment but it is understood that he supported Coun Langthorne in questioning the minutes of the meeting on February 17, when the parish council agreed that a formal bus stop should be positioned outside Mr Bosomworth's home, Holly Tree Cottage, in Church View.

After being addressed by some local residents the parish council also asked police to investigate threats which had allegedly been made to people waiting there for buses on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Mr and Mrs Bosomworth have consulted a solicitor over the contents of a letter, concerning the allegation, sent by the parish council to the public passenger transport manager of North Yorkshire County Council and the police on February 18.

Holly Tree Cottage is said to have been a traditional bus stopping point for elderly people from nearby Orchard Grove for many years, but Mr and Mrs Bosomworth said it was unsuitable because of traffic and parking problems.

They claimed the opening of 40 new flats in Orchard Grove would result in an increase in the number of bus passengers blocking the pavement and noise and loss of privacy would be unbearable.

Mr Bosomworth said it had been hoped to find an amicable solution by suggesting that the bus should either drive around the church in

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