The owners of a Borth zoo will appear in court next month to appeal against an enforcement notice placed on them by Ceredigion County Council.

The owners of Borth Wild Animal Kingdom will appeal against an enforcement notice issued after Ceredigion council chiefs claimed the attraction had failed to abide by a licensing condition around a firearms team.

The council had issued the notice on Monday, 27 January, saying that the zoo’s licensing conditions stating that the business had to have three staff members registered to handle firearms was not being met.

Zoo owners Tracy and Dean Tweedy appealed against that notice on Monday, 24 February, with a district judge setting a date for a full appeal on Thursday, 26 March.

The judge, sitting in Aberystwyth Justice Centre today, heard that the zoo had been unable to staff a three-person firearms team, but Mrs Tweedy said that extensive efforts had been made to get more staff members licensed to operate firearms, but had not been possible.

The original enforcement notice, which ordered the zoo to close its dangerous Category 1 animal enclosures, led to the zoo being closed completely on a voluntary basis, before reopening during half-term week with the lion enclosure closed to the public.