A decision by South Oxfordshire District Council to turn down the gift of a £12,000 clock for Didcot has angered town rotarians.

Didcot Rotary president Les McDonagh said: "This is a snub - a slap in the face for the people of Didcot and the Rotary Club.

"We had 450 people sign a petition saying they liked the idea of the clock and the district council planning officers just turned it down out of hand.

"It was meant to be a gift to the town to thank people for their support for the Rotary Club and its activities since it was formed in 1974.

"It was also a way of fulfilling the dream of one of our late members, Paul Tappin, who died last year.

"He always wanted a clock for the town and we were set to provide it."

The dark blue clock would have had Orchard Centre - the name of Didcot's new shopping centre - written in gold round the clock face and would also have featured the Rotary Club's wheel logo.

The five metre-tall clock would have stood at the junction of Station Road and Broadway.

District council planning officers, acting under delegated powers, said the clock was "out of character with the contemporary design of the new shopping centre and civic buildings" and "would not add positively to the public realm".

They said it was "incongruous in the townscape and detrimental to the character of the town".

They also said it would bcome a target for vandals.

Rotarian Brian Key said: "We're all grossly disappointed. It's just petty bureaucracy. None of the people making these decisions live in Didcot. We could go to appeal but it would cost the club about £1,500."

Mr McDonagh added: "This was all very harsh, a snotty set of reasons. It is a shame they are treating Didcot like this. The club will discuss the decision and decide what to do next."