A CHARTER linking Trowbridge with a town in Morocco has been given the support of Trowbridge town council.

At a meeting on Tuesday the council agreed to support the charter twinning the county town to Oujda, in what will be the first time a town in the UK has formed a partnership with a Muslim Arab country.

The Moroccan population in Trowbridge is second only to that in London with about 80 families in the town, and more in neighbouring areas such as Westbury, Chippenham and Swindon.

Many have been living in the UK since the 1960s when they came over in response to the need for more workers in Trowbridge.

The idea for the twinning was raised by the Moroccan Community Association last year and Oujda was chosen as many of the Moroccans now living in Trowbridge are originally from there.

Visitors from Morocco have already been guests of honour in Trowbridge and it is hoped the two parties will soon get together to officially sign the charter.

Trowbridge is already twinned with Leer in Germany, the French town of Charenton-Le-Pont and, along with the four other west Wiltshire towns, the Polish district Elblag.