PROTESTORS waving placards and shouting "Save our museums" virtually closed down Canterbury on Saturday.

They staged a 30-minute "flash" demonstration outside the Roman Museum in Butchery Lane at noon to highlight city council plans to close it.

Among them was English teacher Judith Thomson, 52.

She said: "It is a matter of local pride in our history and where we have come from.

"The Roman Museum is inspirational. It is important to keep it open for visitors and also for future generations so they can learn about the city."

Nigel Whitburn, a charity worker from Ash, said: "To close the museums is to cut off the lifeblood of the city. Canterbury is a place with a fantastic history and a story to tell. It is not just a place to go shopping."

The Roman Museum, the Westgate Towers Museum and Herne Bay museum are all due to be shut as the council attempts to slash £3 million from its budget over the next two years.

A decision will be made on Thursday at the city's Guildhall.

But this week council chief Cllr John Gilbey issued an emergency statement insisting the museums would not face the axe.

He said: "It must be stressed that the council will not be taking a decision to close the museums. It will only be deciding on the proposal budgets for 2010-2011."

But opposition leader Cllr Alex Perkins of the Liberal Democrats told the crowd the threat to the museums was real.

He said allowing visitor attraction companies such as Continuum, which runs the Canterbury Tales, to take over the museums, as revealed by the Canterbury Times last week, would cheapen them.

He said: "They will close the museums or even worse turn them into a Disney-style attraction."

Another protest took place outside the Westgate Hall later. The council wants to knock it down and use the space for car parking for the new Marlowe Theatre.

Don Beerling, 83, said: "The council is out of order even considering shutting down part of Canterbury's heritage. The hall is the only sizeable public space to hold functions and events in."

* Canterbury City Council has warned that there are only 125 seats allocated to the public at the Guildhall for Thursday's meeting. Spokesman Rob Davies said: "These will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Unfortunately, once this number is reached, no further entrance will be allowed."

The public entrance is from St Peter's Place. The meeting starts at 7pm.