A COUPLE finally took delivery of their new fridge after holding a peaceful protest outside Chippenham's Powerhouse.

Ron May, 64, and his wife, Elizabeth, 59, who both suffer from ill health, ordered the American-style fridge in August before their planned move to Malta.

But the company went into receivership the day after the couple shelled out £1,014.98 for the large fridge, but they were assured that would not delay delivery.

After three months of telephone calls and letters, the couple, from The Butts, in Chippenham, finally lost patience and gave the company an ultimatum that if the fridge was not delivered by 3pm on November 6, they would demonstrate outside the store in Hathaway Park.

The pair demonstrated with their family for nearly two hours, handing out leaflets to customers explaining their predicament, before the manageress came out of the shop and offered them the shop's display fridge.

Mr May's daughter, Jenni Bainbridge, 37, of Bluebell Grove, said: "The manager said as a gesture of goodwill she would give us the same model fridge, which was on display.

"It just shows that if you stand up for yourself and make enough noise hopefully you will get the chance to change things."

Powerhouse went into receivership in August.

PRG Powerhouse Ltd took over the company in September, but a spokesman for the new company said it was under no legal obligation to refund customers who made purchases before the old company went into receivership.

But she said: "While we are under no obligation, as a gesture of goodwill we have been trying to right some of the wrongs suffered by customers."