TEIGNMOUTH town councillors are to call in the district auditor to explain accounting procedures to them.

The move follows a row at last week's finance and general purposes committee meeting, when chairman Cllr Fred Tooley, in response to a request from five councillors, tabled an emergency motion on petty-cash operations.

Town clerk David Tickell said that he had always paid for council purchases out of his own pocket, and kept receipts to be reimbursed later.

Cllr Sylvia Russell said that she was 'disturbed at the innuendo' of the motion, and proposed that the auditor visit the council to explain proper procedure.

Cllr Brenda Battershill described Cllr Russell's comment as 'rubbish', and that there was no innuendo in the request for an emergency debate.

Mr Tickell said that the town council's accounts had been audited for the last six years, and nothing wrong had been found.

'I have told Cllrs Dawe and Whitlock that I'll be keeping a small petty-cash float in future,' he said. 'But I find it irregular that matters such as this should be discussed at an open meeting. I'm not all happy that the motion was sprung on the council.'

Cllr Dick Petherick backed Mr Tickell, saying that the issue should be a closed matter, the remit of a special sub-committee.

Cllr Tooley said that it ought to be debated in public, because public money was being discussed, to which Mr Tickell replied that it was his money.

But Cllr Roy Phillips countered that the town clerk should not use his own money, because that was not the proper procedure.

On a cautionary note, Cllr David Weekes warned councillors that they were in danger of conducting 'a witch hunt'.

Councillors agreed to back Cllr Russell's proposal to invite the auditor to talk to them.