THE Royal British Legion could be asked to pay a heavy price for holding Remembrance Day parades in Hereford and the market towns.

The money, including Poppy Day cash, will be swallowed up by costs incurred in getting full road closure orders and taking safety measures before the parades are allowed on public roads.

Major James Hereford, chairman of the county's Royal British Legion, says he is deeply saddened by the situation.

Money donated by the public to help disabled servicemen and their families and the dependants of men and women killed while serving their country will have to be used to pay the bills if traditional parades are to continue.

The situation has arisen because of new national policy which says police will not allow parades or rallies on public roads until the organisation involved has obtained a full-scale official road closure order.

Until recently, the police had used informal measures to hold up traffic to allow the marches without the full panoply of official orders.

But this ended when a child was involved in an accident during one of these 'informal' situations elsewhere in the country and the police were criticised for not introducing a full road closure policy

As a result police have directed that roads must be officially closed for all rallies or parades.

Major Hereford said a county Royal British Legion rally planned in Hereford Cathedral on Sunday, July 9, would cost the branch around £500 in expenses.

This will be the cost of a 'few minutes' marching between St Peter's Square and the cathedral.

The same will apply when branches of the Royal British Legion hold their Remembrance Day parades in November.

"When you multiply the cost by the number of branches in Herefordshire it could cost the county RBL several thousand pounds a year to hold its traditional parades. Across the whole country, it would run into a huge amount of money,'' said Major Hereford.

A spokesperson for Herefordshire Council confirmed that it was official police policy nationally to insist on the official closure orders for parades in the interests of the safety of the public, as well as those taking part.

The costs were incurred by a series of public notices, the erection of barriers and other safety precautions.

Herefordshire Council had waived the cost to the RBL last year and members recognised the difficulties it faced.

The council was obliged to respond to the police policy, but a report on the implications was being prepared and would be considered by the council as soon as possible.