BRAMPTON'S town crier has quit his official post with the parish council.

88-year-old Brian Pease has been the town's crier for 12 years, however, stepped down after a disagreement caused by the council's introduction of a formal booking form for the town crier, with this centering around concerns about insurance coverage.

Brian remains adamant that he always checked insurance coverage with event organisers and added that he wasn't getting enough bookings through the council, with two arranged when in a normal year he might expect 17.

"It was a poor way to treat an 88-year-old veteran trying to serve his community," Brian said.

As Brampton's town crier, Brian also attends events in Carlisle including race meetings, charging £100 for charity which goes to the British Legion or an appropriate organisation linked to the event such as the Brampton Fairtrade group.

A spokeswoman for the Parish Council said: "Brian Pease has been an excellent town crier. 

"At September's meeting members requested a meeting with Brian to raise concerns about public liability insurance cover when attending other events and a lack of using the formal booking form introduced earlier in the year which is similar to what other councils use for their town criers to comply with insurance cover."

"It's a real shame but the parish council wish Brian all the best with his venture as a self-proclaimed town crier for the community and have no current plans to replace him."

Now, Brampton businesses have stepped in to buy Brian a new outfit so hw can be a 'town crier for the people of Brampton, but not the parish council'.