Beleaguered Basildon Zoo will be told to clean up its act if it wants to stay in business.

Improving the living conditions of many of the animals and strengthening safety enclosures are just of the demands in a hard-hitting Basildon Council ultimatum set to be discussed next week.

Council chiefs and Government inspectors carried out a routine inspection of the crisis-hit zoo in July and put together a 47-point plan of action to bring the zoo up to scratch.

Sixteen of the measures are legally enforceable and could lead to the zoo's licence being revoked in 2001.

Zoo chief Yolande Surcouf today said many of demands had already been met, while others were in the process of being addressed.

She came under fierce fire last year from the prominent animal protection group Born Free.

In a savage attack on breakfast television programme GMTV, the zoo was blasted as "dilapidated", "distasteful" and a danger to the animals and public.

However, Mrs Surcouf, who has owned the zoo for 12 years, refuted the allegations, but blasted some of the council's recommendations as "silly".

She said: "Some of the conditions we will do, others have already been acted on and others will be left because they are not necessary. We would prefer to put the money into things that need doing rather than some of the silly things they have listed."

She added: "We would appreciate it if visitors would come to us with complaints rather than going to the council when the public do not know what they are talking about."

The report will be discussed by councillors at the east Basildon area committee on January 13, which is open to the public.

Chief recommendations include:

A systematic programme of essential maintenance of wild and dangerous animal enclosures

Checking for nails and sharp wire in enclosures

Rehousing a racoon

Improving the Arctic fox enclosure

Re-grassing muddy enclosures and cutting vegetation in others.

Mrs Surcouf said she would probably ignore the final two recommendations.

She said: "When we have the money we will improve the Arctic fox enclosure, but we will not re-grass the wallaby enclosure as it will give them lump jaw. Born Free is simply out to close every zoo."

Born Free chiefs, who alerted the council, said they were still receiving letters of complaint about the zoo.

David Spratt, a volunteer with the organisation, said: "When I visited, it was a deplorable, mundane zoo with very little attention paid to animal welfare and public safety."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.