Brides-to-be are being let down by the registration service as they have to run a 'gauntlet' of rubbish, human mess and abusive comments to get married in Great Yarmouth, it has been claimed.
The area surrounding the register office, housed within the town's library, has been slammed as a 'disgrace' by a concerned resident, who feels Yarmouth people are getting a raw deal compared to other parts of the county.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he felt compelled to speak up as he regularly sees people acting drunk and disorderly in the area, as well as piles of rubbish and human excrement.
He said: 'It's a disgrace. When people come to get married they have to walk past this.
'They have to run past people who throw abuse at them, then they have to walk through the building up the stairs into a room that isn't fit for purpose, these people should not have to suffer this.'
The man, who was born and brought up in Yarmouth and said he felt passionate about the town, was also concerned for people using other services provided by the service, including registering births and deaths.
He said Norwich's register office, housed within a grade II listed building on Bethel Street, had access to its own garden and car park and provided much better facilities, and yet cost the same as a Yarmouth wedding.
He thought the Yarmouth office could be moved to the town hall.
'Why is Norwich so much better than us? This is not good enough for Yarmouth people,' he added.
'Why have we got a standard here that's so low?'
Norfolk County Council moved the register office from Gorleston's Ferryside in 2011 in a bid to save money. But a year later figures showed the number of bookings for weddings at the library venue had dropped by almost 60pc.
A council spokesman said the decision to move the register office was made as part of the authority's work to reduce accommodation costs by sharing premises.
The spokesman added: 'We receive great feedback for the registration service in the library. Its location means parents registering the birth of their baby can also find out first-hand about some of the great services on offer for babies and toddlers.
'We have made special arrangements to register some deaths at the James Paget Hospital to help make life a little easier for people at a very difficult time.
'And, as far as weddings are concerned, there is more than just one choice. So whether a couple chooses a church, a venue that is licensed by the county council or another of our register offices they will find something locally to suit their personal tastes and budgets.
'For those couples for whom the library isn't the right venue, we've made a special arrangement with Great Yarmouth Borough Council so couples can marry in the town hall's Rambouillet Room parlour for only a little more money than the cost of marrying in the library's ceremonial room.'
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