STOURPORT’S St George’s Day parade might not take place next year due to safety fears, it has been revealed.

Tom Pearsall, Scout district commissioner for Severn and Teme, said he feared children were at risk now that police would no longer be marshalling the event.

He said that this year’s parade on April 17 had been “a dry run” for future events where the police would no longer have any involvement.

And he warned they had proved too inexperienced on the day to meet the necessary standards.

Mr Pearsall said: “I am personally not very happy putting young children at risk on roads without police protection and I would take a lot of persuading to do that, even with trained volunteers.

“I am seriously considering not continuing the parade as, without police protection, it is a little dangerous.”

Mr Pearsall said that one option might be to hold a fun day instead in the memorial park.

He explained that the group’s parade in Bewdley posed fewer problems and was not under threat as the route of the march was much shorter.

He said that usually during a march police would lead the parade and be stationed at various points on the route, monitoring and controlling the situation.

They would control access in and out of the roads being used by the children and would be in constant radio communication.

In past years, a police car would also lead the parade and be followed by a vehicle displaying a flashing amber light.

Mr Pearsall said: “I honestly think the public will miss seeing the Scouts and Guides march through Stourport.

“There are normally quite a few visitors as well watching us march in the town.

“Most of the youngsters love to go on parade and march because they are proudly saying ‘I am a Scout or Guide and here I am’.”

Mark Woodward, spokesman for Kidderminster Scouts, said police had helped during last Sunday’s St George’s Day parade there by closing the Birmingham Road and Coventry Street island.

He said Kidderminster and District Scouts had a good, experienced marshalling team and could cope with managing the parade.

But he feared other parade organisers in Wyre Forest could find it difficult without police supervision.

Wyre Forest district Inspector Paul Crowley confirmed that police no longer provided marshalling for local parades but did still assist at events of national significance, such as Remembrance Sunday.

He said: “The police, nationally, withdrew from marshalling parades some years ago.

“We do not authorise events such as parades and it is the responsibility of the organisers to apply for road closures, provide marshalling and generally manage the occasion.”