A PROPERTY company has been accused of insulting the people of Maidstone by flying three European Union flags from its business centre.

The UK Independence Party wrote to Phil Edmonds, former Test cricketer and now chairman of Grosvenor Land Holdings, and Douglas Blausten, managing director, complaining about the EU flags at the Powerhub in St Peter's Street, Maidstone.

At the recent official opening by the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Pat Marshall, Mr Blausten hoped the refurbished offices, previously known as The Industrial Centre, would appeal to companies from across the Channel, especially the French.

Terry Kendall, secretary of Maidstone UKIP, welcomed Grosvenor's attempts to attract more jobs to Maidstone. But he said: "It is therefore disappointing that you have felt it necessary to hoist the advertising slogan of the European Union, the blue flag with the ring of stars, in deference to the British national flag.

"The act of flying this symbol from one of the highest buildings in the county town will be seen by the majority of residents as a flagrant insult and a further threat to our national identity.

"May I therefore, respectfully request that you remove the offending flag from The Industrial Centre and replace it with the Union Flag of Britain."

Mr Blausten said that he had not intended any offence. He was as pro-British as anyone and had draped himself in a Union Flag during the Queen's golden jubilee celebrations in Hyde Park.

"Those flags are up because we could not get planning permission quickly enough to get our logo flags up," he said. "I am happy to concede it would have been nice to get a Union Jack up there. I have no problem with that at all."

But it had been hard to find a Union Flag and the EU flags were the only ones that could be obtained at the time.

Mr Blausten said Maidstone council had now given verbal planning consent for new flags displaying the Powerhub logo and the EU flags would be replaced within the next few weeks.

He said: "We are very pro-Europe, we want to attract business from Europe, Maidstone is growing with the support of the European Union and Eurotunnel.

"That's very good news, that's why we have invested in it. We are as British as we can possibly be but Britain is a major player in Europe and we hope to attract European tenants if we can."