THANET council has voted to encourage residents to sign an e-petition calling on the Government to end live exports.

The motion put forward by Labour councillor Ian Driver and debated last night, requested that the council post a link to the petition on its website and with press release asking residents to sign up.

Conservative members argued that the council should not actually encourage residents and tabled an amendment stating that the council should merely inform people of the petition's existence.

Council leader Bob Bayford said: "I don't think anybody can be in any doubt that this council has expressed it abhorrence of the trade but I suggest we fall short of encouraging people to sign the petition. I am concern whether it is the council's role to give encouragement, there could be a lot of other people campaigning for other things and by choosing which to support the council could become prejudicial in that situation."

Mr Driver said: "I really cannot see why we are splitting hairs here. It is a step back, you can't duck and dive with phraseology. We can stand up on a moral issue or not stand up at all. I can't think of many other issues in people's lives that involve something so barbaric, so cruel and so terrible as live exports going out of Ramsgate. No more pussy footing around, let's not back down from this and say what we really mean."

With the support of independent councillors Bob Grove and Thomas King, Labour members managed to vote down the Conservative amendment and had the motion carried with their own amendment that the e-petition link be put on the council home page, not just the website.

Prior to the 7pm meeting at the council offices in Margate's Cecil Square around 30 protestors stood outside for more than an hour holding placards saying "Ramsgate Blood Money" and "Legality is not Morality".

For a full report of the protest and the council meeting get the Thanet Times on Tuesday.