Wallingford is lagging behind Abingdon and Henley in providing waterborne tourists with moorings on the River Thames.

And the news that planned new ones might not be ready in time for next summer was described as a "disaster" at the town council's meeting on Tuesday.

South Oxfordshire District Council is planning six new moorings at a cost of about £200,000 but the work may not be completed by next year.

Deputy mayor Dee Cripps said she was concerned the delay would hit the town's tourist trade, adding: "We're running a very poor third behind Henley and Abingdon when it comes to mooring places."

Ms Cripps, who is also chairman of the council's tourism committee, said: "These new moorings are vital for the town.

"We have been trying to get them for at least five years and we were promised they would be in place for summer 2009.

"Now that's looking less and less likely — and that's a disaster for Wallingford and our hopes of attracting more and more tourists."

She called for the town council to take action to try to bring pressure on the district council.

Members were told that the extra moorings, which would be provided on the Crowmarsh bank, had been the subject of an Environment Agency report. It said that the banks were too weak to cope with new moorings and the water was not deep enough.

Councillor Pat Granados said: "We suspected this when we first saw plans for moorings five years ago. We suggested then that pontoons going out into the river might be the answer.

"So five years on we are no further forward."

Fellow councillor Theresa Jordan said: "It looks extremely unlikely we will get these new moorings and that's a very great pity."

The district council's strategic property officer Graham Hawkins said: "The money is still there to be used.

"We have had a few problems and some more work needs to be done with our consultants and we may have to look at different options, like a pontoon for the moorings. The Environment Agency is looking at cost implications for us."

He said he could neither confirm nor deny the moorings would not be ready for 2009.