Former Three Counties Show-ground general manager Tony Halls has attacked members of the Three Counties Agricultural Society over the way its former chief executive was removed from his job.

Mr Halls, who took early retirement in the spring after 23 years with the society, has written to about 60 existing and former TCAS Council members describing what he calls a "covert operation" to get rid of Chris Milne.

Mr Milne left in January after four years with the charity, saying he wanted to "recharge his batteries".

In his letter Mr Halls says: "The covert operation that got rid of Chris Milne sickened me so much that I could not possibly continue to work under the 'backstabbing' and whispering that was ruining both staff morale and the team spirit that has always been an essential element for such a hard working group of people. It happened that several of the staff knew that Chris Milne was to be sacked well before he or I knew. This I found to be disgraceful and entirely unprofessional".

Mr Halls praises the enthusiasm and professionalism of Mr Milne, who turned last year into a profit despite foot and mouth.

"At the end of 2002 the Society is on schedule to make the biggest profit in the busiest year of its history ...but sadly Chris will not get the credit," he writes.

He says Mr Milne "did not want to leave and was devastated".

"The very substantial payment the Society paid him to leave will never compensate for the shock and hurt he must feel," he said.

Mr Halls concludes by saying he has decided to return his life membership and stay away from the showground "in order to retain treasured memories of the good times".

Mr Halls, who would have retired officially in May, said this week that he could have stayed in joint command of the Society but he could not work with with TCAS's new director Gareth Smith - a post that replaced both chief executive and showground manager roles.

"I'd really reiterate the points I put in the letter, to the extent that the chief executive went against his wishes," he told the Malvern Gazette.

"The whole gist of my letter was that we have not been told the truth and I just wanted everyone to know the truth," he said.

Mr Halls is now living in Gloucester-shire, at Berkeley Castle, where his wife, Elizabeth, is administrator.

He added: "I've come out of it a very happy person. I'm not bearing any grudges".

Chris Milne, 52, lives in Castlemorton and had been director of Dalgety Agriculture and managing director of Whitbread's South West region before joined TCAS.

Asked to comment on the letter he said: "I can't really. I'm bound by the terms of my contract when I left the society not to talk about anything."

Mr Milne is now setting up a West Midlands based consultancy which will work with leisure and tourism businesses.

In a statement issued yesterday, TCAS said it would like to draw attention to Mr Milne's own comments made when he left in January.

TCAS director Gareth Smith is currently away on holiday.