A council has shelled out £1,000 for a mayoral robe made with fake fur, following backlash from animal rights groups.

Protestors circled on Hythe Town Council (HTC) last year as members decided whether to buy fake fur or muskrat regalia.

HTC Mayor Paul Peacock this week welcomed his colleagues' decision to snap up a red and black trimmed velvet robe, adding it is “very comfortable” to wear.

“The new robe has turned up and it’s good, I’ve tried it on and it’s very comfortable.

“The old robe is potentially 40 years old, it has been repaired and is smelly.

“We have come to the decision to replace it, and in this day and age we thought it would be better to use fake fur,” he said.

Cllr Peacock, also a Folkestone and Hythe District councillor and self-confessed traditionalist, says he understands why the price-tag and debate over real fur prompted previous controversy.

But he stressed the importance of maintaining the town's history.

In October the council found itself in the firing line as members decided whether to buy a muskrat lined robe for £1,400 or a cheaper fake one.

It came amid intensifying pressure from animal rights group Peta and Respect for Animals, who condemned the use of real fur.

Both groups waded into the debate when Town Mayor and Mayoress Paul and Wendy Peacock told the Express the muskrat robe was ‘disintegrating, old and smelly.’

“I understand why animal rights groups may have been upset when real fur was debated, but we were never going to go down that road,” added Mr Peacock.

Richard Bissett is a spokesman for anti-fur campaign group Respect for Animals.

He praised the council’s decision saying “barbaric” fur belongs in the past.

“We welcome the decision by Hythe Council to ditch real fur in mayoral robes.

“When this issue was first reported we contacted Councillors to urge them to find alternatives to real fur and it is to their credit that they have listened and made the correct, compassionate decision.

“Real fur mayoral robes, like the whole barbaric fur trade, belong in the past,” he said.

The campaign group says it is now calling all councils in the Folkestone and Hythe district to ban fur from its markets.

The latest campaign, dubbed ‘Fur Free Markets’ targets retailers selling real fur as fake, said Mr Bissett

HTC will unveil the new robe at its Mayor Making ceremony on May 10.