Colchester Councillor Kevin Bentley claimed action was needed to allow the town to cash in on the 2012 Olympics.

 

But Theresa Higgins and Dr Tony Rich, who are on Colchester’s Olympic Partnership, denied the accusations and claimed that they had been talking to New Zealand and Fiji about basing themselves there before London 2012.

 

Fiji, however, were one of 15 Pacific countries who last week signed a joint agreement with the North West Development Agency to base themselves in that region before London.

 

Bentley said: “It is outrageous.

 

"We have not even had a reception for our Olympians and Paralympians.

 

"I am now concerned about what is being done to attract teams to our training camps at the university and the garrison.

 

“A lot of work has been done by council officers in the past and we are very proud of that, but I am concerned we have now lost momentum.

 

“We are only three years away from the London Olympics and work needs to be done now.

 

“I would have hoped we would have had firm commitments from some countries by now.”

 

Colchester, in Essex, is the oldest recorded town in Britain, the first major town set up by the Romans after their invasion.

 

Higgins leads Colchester Council's representation on the Olympic Partnership, working alongside the group’s chairman, Rich, who is registrar of Essex University, and Dr Brian McLearnon of Colchester Garrison.

 

Higgins said: “We have approached different people to find out if these teams would be willing to come to Colchester.”

 

Rich said Colchester’s facilities had been included in the official literature for the London 2012 Olympics.

 

He added: “I do accept more needs to be done.

 

"We need to carefully target our activities and this is the right time to do it.

 

“Until the Games in Beijing were over, people were not focusing on the next Games, but it is time now.

 

“We have to prepare a more targeted approach over the next few months.”