A WAR of words broke out today after the Royal British Legion in Tadcaster was told to remove its poppy collection tins from a local social club.

The row erupted when Tadcaster Social Club committee asked Poppy Appeal organiser Jean Ashton to remove the tins and poppy boxes from the club's premises "without delay".

The Legion's Tadcaster branch secretary, Glen Appleyard, said the club had also withdrawn an offer to provide facilities to prepare poppy boxes and count donations.

Writing in the branch's magazine, Mr Appleyard said: "Thankfully, one of our members has kindly offered to store the boxes in his spare bedroom."

The incident is the latest in a series of bust-ups after the Legion's social club decided to disaffiliate from the Royal British Legion and set up on its own as Tadcaster Social Club.

The dispute escalated into a minor "civil war", according to Mr Appleyard, who now says they have severed the last remaining link.

He said they were told to remove the poppy boxes and tins after they decided to move to the Riley-Smith Hall on Remembrance Sunday.

He said: "We moved because we could provide tea and coffee at the hall. This was a knee-jerk reaction by the social club committee and I'm very disappointed."

The Legion's branch lost 400 members following the disaffiliation, and now meets in the Fox and Hounds, in Tadcaster.

Tadcaster Social Club chairman Phil Gautrey said Legion officials had "taken their bat home" after losing 400 members.

He said: "If they put a few bullets in our back, we'll fire one back.

"When we disaffiliated, we gave the Legion use of our building and they just walked out. They can't drink at the Fox and Hounds and expect to keep their poppy boxes at our club.

"I don't give a damn whether they are poppy boxes or not. They either use our club or get out altogether."

Updated: 11:33 Tuesday, May 06, 2003