A Breckland Council spokesman said: “Breckland funded a programme of entertainment activities in Thetford after being approached by local businesses seeking support.

It was designed to make the most of the leisure complex area and encourage footfall to the town, while driving away an identified anti-social behaviour issue. We decided to fund a second year of activity following extremely positive feedback from residents.

“Through our Market Towns Initiative, we have allocated more than £200,000 to a diverse range of projects over the last 12 months including a town centre development study for Dereham, the renovation of Swaffham’s Buttercross, murals in Thetford, and the purchase of new market stalls for Watton and Swaffham.

“We have a history of funding projects in Dereham and continue to welcome interest from local businesses and organisations who would like to work with us to help address an identified need. As we have only received the letter from the town council recently, we are currently considering the points raised and will respond directly in due course.”