VETERANS will not be able to follow their usual Remembrance Sunday parade route through Richmond because they could be at risk from a terrorist attack.
In the past, old soldiers have marched up Frenchgate on their way from a service at St Mary's Church to the war memorial at the foot of Gallowgate, where they observe a few moment's silence.
However, police have decided cars parked along Frenchgate represent a security risk and, as a result, veterans will have to go along Station Road, Dundas Street and Pottergate. Some fear they won't be able to cope with the steeper gradients .
The Mayor of Richmond, Coun Stuart Parsons, has written to the chief constable on their behalf.
He said: "We are now faced with the prospect of selective participation or, even worse, of a parade which swells and shrinks at particular sections of the designated route.
"That is surely not a very dignified or respectful way of remembering those who gave their lives so we might live."
However, Sgt Mick Griffiths of Richmond police said attempts to solve the problem of parked cars had proved fruitless in the past.
He said: "We were not always able to identify the owners of visiting vehicles and we could not clear Frenchgate completely. We must be able to guarantee safety and security and, for that reason, we have made this change."
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