BLACKPOOL Zoo's future is still undecided -- despite a special council committee meeting held to consider presentations from parties interested in running it.

And the meeting turned stormy as one councillor walked out after being told not to repeatedly ask questions about the care of the zoo's elephants.

An undisclosed number of parties hoping to operate and manage the East Park Drive zoo gave presentations to the special sub-committee of the tourism and economic development policy review committee.

But committee chairman Coun Roy Lewis said that no decision had yet been made and he was waiting for more information before any recommendations would be made to the full council.

He would not reveal who the interested parties were, although one presentation was by council tourism officers, in case councillors decide to keep the zoo under council control. He said that he hoped he would be able to make a recommendation to the council in April.

"It's important to make the right decision. I'm not going to be rushed into it and when that decision has been made the first people to know will be the zoo staff."

But Tory councillor Maxine Callow left the meeting after Coun Lewis stopped her asking about the elephants.

Coun Lewis said that when Coun Mrs Callow first asked the question it caused a "lively reaction" from other committee members.

"It brought some disagreement," he said. "She received an answer from that particular company. When the next one came up she asked again, but she had already had the answer once.

"Very deep considerations were taking place. I felt her behaviour and that question was not appropriate at that time and it was disrupting the important considerations that were taking place. She picked up her bags and left. It was her decision to leave."

Coun Mrs Callow said that she was the only opposition councillor present. "I felt it was fair to ask all the organisations the same questions but when I asked the second organisation Coun Lewis said that the meeting was closed and he wouldn't let them answer.

"This is not democracy. I've been elected to represent the people of Blackpool and I should have been allowed to have an answer to this question. The zoo belongs to the people of Blackpool.

"I was asking what they thought of the elephants up at the zoo performing tricks for visitors. We have a council who are unanimous against letting circuses operate with performing animals. These elephants are not for entertainment, they should be treated with respect.

"It concerns me that this council, who are strapped for cash, seem to want the biggest bidder to have the zoo. It has been left now to a handful of Labour councillors to decide its future.

"In my view the animal welfare should come first. In their hands it's just pounds, shillings and pence," she said.