THE voters of Knaresborough could hold an historic town vote on the future of the pound if a group of residents succeed in their anti-Euro campaign.

Six voters have called a town meeting tomorrow night to enlist support for a poll of their fellow townspeople on two questions.

Do you want to keep the pound sterling as the currency of the United Kingdom?

Do you want your local government to postpone the spending of any more time or money preparing for the Euro until after a national referendum?

It is believed the vote could be the first of its kind in the country if it goes ahead.

Chris Royston, one of the six, said if ten people at the public meeting backed their idea, the vote would have to be carried out within the next 25 days under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972.

It would have to be organised by Harrogate Borough Council and paid for by Knaresborough Town Council at the cost of between £3,000 and £4,000.

Harrogate Borough Council officers said today they felt the issue did not qualify as a "parish affair" under the Local Government Act 1972, and therefore a vote would not be valid.

But Mr Royston, who stood for the Referendum Party in Bradford West in the last General Election and is a member of the UK Independence Party, argued it was a "parish" affair.

"It is a local issue - we have the pound in Knaresborough. This is the chance for an historic move for the town and for North Yorkshire."

He said the six people had taken the action as part of a campaign by CARP, the Campaign Alliance for Referendums in Parishes, formed by frustrated Eurosceptics.

"We were promised in the General Election a referendum more than three years ago and we haven't had one and nobody is fixing a date," he said.

A spokeswoman for Harrogate Borough Council said: "Officers of this council, like all other local authorities, have been encouraged by central government to prepare forward outline plans for the introduction of the Euro and believe that there is no choice but to continue to do so.

"The council's position would be untenable if the Euro were introduced and no preparation had taken place."

Tomorrow night's meeting starts at 7.45pm at Gracious Street Methodist Hall, Knaresborough.