A STAFF member at a Worcester college was shocked when a member of the British National Party burst into her office with a camera in a row about the Union Flag.

Rachel Gower, head of communications at Worcester College of Technology, returned to her office to find Carl Mason and another man waiting to film him presenting her with the nation’s flag.

She called the stunt an “act of intimidation.”

Mr Mason, of Keble Close, Tolladine, Worcester, had previously e-mailed Miss Gower to ask why the college was flying an EU flag instead of the union flag.

However, Miss Gower said the college does not fly the EU flag outside its Deansway building.

Instead, it has one flag with the College’s logo, another representing Investors in People, a scheme related to valuing staff, and a third featuring the World Host logo, a customer services training programme linked to the Olympics.

Miss Gower said she responded to Mr Mason’s initial email query, telling him that the college intended to fly a Union Flag this summer but only during the Olympic Games.

She said: “The only reason a Union Jack will fly is for the Olympics.

"We promote diversity and we prefer to promote the college’s values rather that those of a particular state.”

She said she was alarmed by Mr Mason’s stunt and called security but he left through a back entrance.

She said: “To me it was an act of intimidation, done to make you feel intimidated by him.”

However, Mr Mason said: “I e-mailed her saying, ‘why not fly the flag for the jubilee and the Olympics coming up?’ “Something has to be better than the three bits of grey rag hanging from the flagpoles at the moment.”

He said he was first told the college would fly the Union Flag but was later told the Olympic flag would be flown.

He accused the college of being too “embarrassed” to fly the national flag.

He also denied Miss Gower was intimidated by his actions saying she was happy to record a piece to camera for him.

He said: “We wanted a record of us handing her the flag so they’ve got no excuse for not flying one.”