Furious scout leaders have hit out at city centre event organisers after being told to cut short their St George's Day parade.

Up to 1,500 youngsters from across the district have been banned from finishing their march in Centenary Square on Sunday because of planned celebrations to mark the homecoming of the Bradford Bulls.

They have now been advised to stop in Market Street to make way for the rugby squad returning from the Challenge Cup showdown with St Helens.

Arrangements for the traditional scouting parade, which dates back to the 1920s, were made in February and confirmed by the Lord Mayor's Office on March 13. Safety and traffic controls were also finalised with the police.

But now city hall officials have contacted scout leaders to say there has been a meeting with Bradford Bulls and the police to make arrangements for the post match celebrations. Bradford scouts would not be permitted into Centenary Square.

Scouts organiser Leslie Atkins said he was astounded that the decision had been made without consultation and that the scouts had presumably been over ridden because another group had "more clout".

He said: "What is the point of trying to do things by the book if this is the result?

"Scouting has had a tradition of contributing to the life of this city since 1908 and has tried to play its part in supporting civic events. Parading to a street end hardly carries much prestige, exposure or encouragement to the people involved - it seems to suggest more of being kept out the way. It hardly seems the way to encourage the young people of the city to feel valued."

This year's St George's Day Parade will set off from St Mary's Church on East Parade and travel through the city. Although the route changes each year, Mr Atkins said that the march had ended in what is now Centenary Square for the last 20 years and that it was impossible to have more than a thousand people file into Market Street.

"I object to the way we've been treated," he said. "I think it's despicable and want to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Group Councillor Jeanette Sunderland was today due to meet council organisers to resolve the situation after being contacted by the scouts.

She said: "I think it is absolutely dreadful that young people should be excluded from part of the city centre and coming into Centenary Square. The Bulls should put it off until a bit later.

"It is clearly not at all fair and the scouts have done everything right. They were first in the queue and it would be totally wrong if this happened."

She said that the scouts had offered to end their march at an earlier time.

Council Democratic Services manager Andrew Mather said he had been advised by the police that public safety would potentially be at risk if the two events were allowed to overlap.

He said: "Following the police advice, we reluctantly took a decision to divert the scouts from Centenary Square to ensure both events could go ahead. The scouts have been asked to end their parade in Market Street instead."

A spokesman for the Bradford Bulls said that the arrangements were the responsibility of city hall.

Pictured: Scout leader Leslie Atkins and cub scout Luke Poskett with a 1910 St George's Day Parade banner.