A petition has been set up to combat the "urgent" need for more space at Three Rivers Museum amid claims existing space is at a "bursting" point.

The Rickmansworth Town Team is lobbying Three Rivers District Council to allow them to use all of the ground floor at Basing House, which is located between the library and Watersmeet in Rickmansworth High Street.

Currently, the museum only uses half of the ground floor space in the High Street venue and one of the Three Rivers Museum Trust board members has claimed they only have space to display artefacts from five of the thirteen communities the museum serves.

The petition states: "In order for the museum to provide an on-going, up-to-date and relevant service to the community, the museum needs more space urgently.

"Many of the rooms in Basing House are currently unoccupied and would make an ideal space for growth for the museum".

Les Mead, from the Rickmansworth Town Team, said: "The petition is all about increasing the floor area of Three Rivers Museum which is at present located on the ground floor of Basing House.

"We would like to expand into the whole ground floor, especially the old Council Chamber, which has oak panelled walls, it would be ideal for increasing our educational intent.

"School visits to the Museum can only be accommodated by splitting classes into two groups, with half of the pupils being taken out around the town while the other half takes part in a quiz.

"There is not enough space for them to sit or to leave their coats- use of the old council chamber would enable a class of up to 30 to stay together and participate in activities such as investigating handling boxes, looking at artefacts, and writing about or drawing them."

Councillor Martin Brooks, who represents the council on the Museum Trust’s board said: "The Three Rivers District is full of history and heritage which the Three Rivers Museum Trust has acted as custodian of for more than 25 years.

"Currently we only have room to display and collect the memorabilia and artefacts of 5 of the 13 communities that the museum trust serves and those collections are bursting the seams of the existing small space.

"I support their upcoming offer to lease the additional 3 rooms, which is currently standing empty and unused in the ground floor of Basing House in order to expand the museum and make this living history more accessible to visitors, young students and residents of the whole district".

To view or support the petition, click here