PRO-life campaigners have hit out at Witney Town Council for rejecting a planned 10,000-strong rally in the town.

Organisers LIFE hoped to use the event to put pressure on Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron to make changes to abortion law.

But the town council called a halt to the plan because of a lack of parking spaces and facilities and disruption to sports events.

LIFE, which has about 300 members in Oxfordshire and satellite branches across the world, hopes to appeal the decision.

LIFE trustee Rev Lynda Rose said: “I feel very saddened by the decision.

“It is our 40th anniversary, and we wanted to hold a big celebration.

“We thought it would be something that would appeal to the town’s people — to have a happy day out.”

The event would have featured children’s activities, music and pro-life speeches, and would have been held on The Leys, which is owned by the council.

But LIFE also wanted to submit a letter to Mr Cameron’s constituency office.

The campaigners want women to have more information about the health implications of abortions and have non-industry counselling when going through the procedure.

Currently, counselling is given by abortion providers.

Rev Rose said Witney Town Council was wrong to reject the application.

She said organisers had given dates between May and October 2010, to hold the event so the council could pick a time when there were no sports events.

And she said sympathetic farmers had offered to give their land for use as car parks, meaning parking worries were unfounded.

She said: “We are working terribly hard to cause as little upset to the town as possible.”

Rev Rose added: “I have been trying to appeal. I have written letter and email, but I have not had any response whatsoever. We are still hoping it will go ahead.

“We have still got a few months to go.”

Witney Town Council’s amenities committee decided last November to block the plans.

The decision was ratified by full council in December.

Town clerk, Sharon Groth, said: “The committee took into account the unsuitability of the infrastructure of The Leys, which is intended for sports and recreational use at a local level, to provide parking, access and facilities for a potential crowd of 10,000 people, as suggested could be the case by LIFE.”

She added: “The Leys is for football and cricket first and foremost, and we do not want the pitches to be over-played and out of action.”

Ms Groth said council regulations meant a decision could not be overturned within six months of the ruling, which had affected previous appeals.

But the issue may be discussed at a future meeting.

Witney Town Council also rejected applications to use The Leys from The Steam Fair and Witney Music Festival for the same reasons.

Green Party member Kate Griffin said: “LIFE has got the right to express its views.

“But a lot of pro-life rhetoric talks about advice and counselling, but what it comes down to is anti-abortion propaganda.”

Labour town councillor Duncan Enright said it was “inevitable” that more campaigners were using Witney to protest to Mr Cameron.

He said: “It is not a bad thing — it is democracy in action — but it is difficult for a town the size of Witney to handle it.”

Hundreds of people marched through Witney in January to protest against cuts and privatisations.