HANDS off, it's ours. That is the message Bristol is sending out to chiefs at the Yorkshire Air Museum over its plans to nab a prized Concorde.

The future of the supersonic jet is set to be the focus of rivalry between York and Bristol, which is spearheading a campaign to bring the iconic aircraft back to where it was built at nearby Filton.

But the Elvington-based museum has made its own bid for a Queen of the Skies, once it has been retired from service later this year.

"Keep your Dick Turpin intentions to yourself," said the local Evening Post when news of Elvington's interest was revealed in Bristol.

Concorde was a regular visitor to Leeds/Bradford Airport during the 1980s and museum bosses have made representations to British Airways to secure one of the supersonic jets.

The Evening Post said: "York is a fine and ancient place. But not since the days it was associated with Dick Turpin has this historic city been involved in a bigger piece of potential highway robbery than its attempt to grab our Concorde."

Reporter Olivier Vergnault said: "Everyone in Bristol feels it should come to Bristol, because that's where it was built. We feel that Yorkshire doesn't really deserve it, so hands off, it's ours. It's part of our heritage and we don't want anyone just to pinch it. We want it and we deserve it."

Bristol wants Concorde 216 - the last of the airliners to form the centre piece of a new aviation museum in the city.

Elvington is one of the few existing museums in Britain capable of housing a Concorde because of the size of runway needed to accommodate it.

Ian Reed, museum director at the Yorkshire Air Museum, said: "Surely it ought to be skyway rather than highway robbery?

"This part of Yorkshire is the home of the invention of aviation, so we feel we have got our claim.

"There are 16 Concorde planes and we are also talking to Air France so we feel there will be enough to go round."

Updated: 08:56 Monday, May 05, 2003