A DECISION is imminent on whether a major tourist attraction should go into public ownership.

A campaign has been launched in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, for Mother Shipton's Cave to be taken into public ownership, so it can be retained as a magnet for visitors.

The 12-acre estate has been on the market for seven months, at an asking price of £625,000, but so far there have been no takers.

Mayor of Knaresborough Councillor Julie Watkins had been asked by chamber of trade president Andrew Bull to raise the issue at a town council meeting.

After making his plea for the estate to be bought by the town, telephone lines at Mr Bull's office were jammed by locals pledging their support.

However, attempts to raise the issue at the latest council meeting failed because the item was not on the agenda.

Town clerk Alan Benton said that the matter would be debated at a policy committee meeting later this month.

Since going public with his campaign, Mr Bull said he had received massive support from the public for Knaresborough to take over the attraction.

He believed this had been sparked by the recent loss to a private buyer of the famed House in the Rock, once open to visitors.

There are mixed views among councillors about whether the town should, or could, afford to buy Mother Shipton's Cave. Some are worried about ongoing running costs for such a small council.

The cave is said to be the birthplace of the country's most famous prophetess Mother Shipton in 1488. It is reputed to be the oldest tourist attraction in Britain, opening in 1630.

It also includes the famous petrifying well, where items hung up are turned into stone by mineral deposits in the water.

The attraction also features a children's playground and woodland walks and bringing 100,000 visitors a year to its site alongside the River Nidd