URMSTON District Scouts’ annual St George’s Day parade has been cancelled.

The parade, which has run every year for more than 50 years, will not take place this year as organisers cannot afford to pay a traffic management company the £1,500 quoted to stop traffic on the day.

District comissioner Jonathan Platt said it wasn’t a popular choice but there was no other option as the risks would be unacceptable.

The decision has affected more than 800 scouts, cubs, beavers, guides, brownies and rainbows from groups in Urmston, Davyhulme, Flixton and Partington, who were looking forward to taking part in the parade.

Jonathan, whose 11-year-old son Robert is one of the scouts left ‘gutted’ by the decision, said changes in regulations which used to allow the police to stop the traffic for them had caused problems.

For the last two years - after the changes came into place in 2009 - the Urmston District Scouts have paid £500 to a traffic management company - funded by grants from Trafford Housing Trust and the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester - to stop the traffic while they parade.

But last year, as volunteers from the scout groups helped to lay out cones at busy road junctions, cars continued to weave in and out of the parade causing an ‘unacceptable risk’.

The scout group were quoted an additional £1,000 to the traffic management company to patrol the junctions - a fee they can’t afford.

Jonathan said the additional fee and a delay by the scouts to apply for grants meant that they could no longer afford to run the parade.

They have organised a small alternative event at 5th Urmston Scout Hut in Urmston but Jonathan admitted that it would be “a bit of a non event”.

“I’m 40 and I can always remember there being a parade. People are desperately disappointed because it is a real public display.

“I feel disappointment and a desire to do a better job next year when we will be a little bit more organised.”

Claire Field, assistant scout leader at 3rd Davyhulme, and mum of a scout and cub affected by the decision, said everyone was ‘absolutely devastated’.

“The kids are so proud of being involved and had been really looking forward to it. It’s really upsetting for them,” she said.