A ROW has broken out after it emerged that an antique Union Jack, believed to have been flown outside a Lampeter hall for many years, was thrown out in the rubbish.

Passer-by Dr Rachel Gibbons told how she was shocked to find the enormous flag which, she said, was still attached to its flagpole, lying forlornly among refuse bins outside the Victoria Hall.

In a letter to the Cambrian News, Dr Gibbons said the flag was subsequently seen billowing behind the bikes of two young boys as they sped down College Street and she now “bitterly regretted” not taking it in for safe keeping.

“Goodness knows where the flag is now and what state it is in,” she said.

“What a terrible waste. Surely if the trustees of Victoria Hall did not want this flag or if it was being replaced, then it should have been offered to Lampeter Museum as it is part of the history of Victoria Hall and indeed Lampeter itself?”

Lampeter mayor David Smith also expressed concern at the news, saying: “It’s quite sad if this flag has indeed been binned because it must have flown proudly outside those premises for many years and was obviously part of the fabric of Victoria Hall.”

But Gary Thorogood, chairman of the hall directors, insisted the flag had been in such poor condition they had no option but to discard it.

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