A bitter row has erupted after a Silsden social club banned the Royal British Legion from meeting on its premises.

The president of the recently-established Silsden branch of the ex-servicemen charity said the decision by the committee of the Sunnybank Social Club had caused “deep outrage and offence”.

Douglas Boulton, a former RAF serviceman, was forced off the Sunnybank Social Club committee after more than 20 years as a “keyholder” when he wouldn’t choose between his role as president of the charity and treasurer of the club.

The Sunnybank Social Club was first founded by the Royal British Legion nearly three decades ago before it became a private members’ club — a fact which makes the decision “even harder to stomach” according to Mr Boulton, 73.

He said: “I think the way the club has treated the British Legion is absolutely disgusting.

“The excuse they are giving for not allowing us to meet there is that they fear we are going to take over the club – but that is ridiculous.

“They support other charities by letting them meet for free so I don’t know why we are being discriminated against. It feels very unfair and I don’t understand it.”

The club also paid a reduced council tax rate because it supported charities by letting them use the building, he added.

Mick Taylor, secretary of the Sunnybank Social Club, told the Keighley News that the committee in place now had only been running since last November.

He said: “The committee voted on whether to allow the British Legion to meet in the club any more and it went against them.

“It was all done democratically. Senior members of the committee were uneasy about the British Legion meeting at the club because it wasn’t in the club’s best interests.

“Some were concerned they would take over — we were already beginning to receive their mail.

“They also didn’t follow procedure about supplying the names and contact information of all their members.”

Mr Taylor added that the club supported many charities and had recently held a fundraising event to raise money for the Royal British Legion.

The Silsden branch of the Legion now meets at the Cobbydale Club, on the first Monday of every month, from 7pm.