THE suggestion that the whole Blobby affair was merely a business venture that went awry has been dismissed out of hand by Paul Pascoe, an executive with Noel Edmonds' Unique production company.

Following a report in The Independent on Sunday it emerged that some councillors and officials were claiming that the project had simply just not worked out.

"This is not the case at all," claimed Pascoe " and both Noel and myself are looking forward to finally bringing this whole fiasco out in the open."

"Years ago we asked for an inquiry but the council refused to have one and sadly, it has been left to local citizens to get to the bottom of it.

"The council can try to dress it up as merely a failed business venture but you have to ask why the council, in one of its own reports, commented on what a successful attraction it was, said Mr Pascoe.

He also queried why the council did not accept Unique's offer, made at the time, of reduced fees to minimise losses.

"You also have to ask why they rushed into litigation when they clearly didn't have a case."

Mr Pascoe said that councillors had been given misleading information when support for the venture was being sought and claimed further that they were then encouraged to withdraw that support when Crinkley Bottom was clearly going to fail.

"I believe that local people are aware that many of the council's public statements over Crinkley Bottom do not stand up to scrutiny and it is a pity that the whole thing was tied up in the courts for so long before we could get to the bottom of the whole affair."

In addition to the losses over Crinkley Bottom the council also had to settle a libel claim from Mr Pascoe, a lawyer, following statements made by the authority.