UNDER-FIRE Kidderminster Harriers have defended a UK Independence Party banner at the stadium - saying the club is politically neutral.

The owners have had to take severe criticism this week after the UKIP Wyre Forest branch paid for a boarding at Aggborough.

A statement from the club said: "Over the years we have not only received support from political parties, but we have also supported them with free or reduced costs for venue hire and auction or raffle prizes.

"We believe this is part of being involved in our community.

"Commercially we have links with the MP for Wyre Forest, Mark Garnier.

"Mr Garnier takes up an advert in the matchday programme and often supports the club’s causes in his role as MP.

"In addition to this we have, in recent years, worked with the Wyre Forest District Council and had support from Councillor Fran Oborski of the Liberal Party in the form of match sponsorship, as well as support from former MEP Nikki Sinclaire.

"All of these parties have, in exchange, used the club to promote themselves into the wider community.

"We regard the support from UKIP locally in exactly the same way; that they are promoting themselves to the wider community through the football club."

The club's board has talks about it on Thursday and decided the UKIP banner will stay in place.

The statement added: "Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is impartial in politics and does not want to become involved in a local political debate around this issue."

The club has come under fire after hiring out the hoarding, at the ‘Town End’ of Aggborough stadium, to the right-wing political party for its campaign purposes.

Wyre Forest Labour councillor Adrian Sewell, a Harriers’ season-ticket holder and regular at Aggborough 45 years, is boycotting matches until the advert is removed and other fans are threatening to do the same.

Michael Wrench, leader of Wyre Forest UKIP, has labelled the reaction from other parties “very childish” and called it a “business transaction” that the party decided upon due to empty boards at the ground.

The parliamentary seat is being viewed closely by UKIP because Mark Garnier only has a majority of 2,643, putting it on a knife-edge.