A ROW has broken out between councillors and a community group over newly launched models of Darwen Tower.

Friends of Darwen Tower announced the sale of the limited edition models via social media on Wednesday evening.

According to chairman of the friends Harold Heys, all 45 of the aluminium models sold out within three hours, with requests coming from Australia and Canada.

However members of Darwen Town Council said they owned the rights to the design because they had commissioned the casts used for the models.

Mr Heys said: “A first batch of cast aluminium Towers was made several years ago by the council to decorate the tops of railings around the Circus but the mould was lost.

“A second casting was done and about 20 models were passed on to our group and ended up gathering dust in the garage of Simon Huggill our secretary.

“I took over three years later and decided it was time we got things moving.

“We are still trying to sort out our bank account so I forked out over a thousand pounds for another 25.”

Darwen Mayor Roy Davies said: “They should have asked our permission and we could have sat down and discussed is sensibly.

“We spent £2,000 making the cast and the original models. They were bought and paid for by Darwen Town Council.

“At the end of the day, as far as I’m concerned, if they have sold these models then they have sold something that does not belong to them and we will have to take legal advice.

“We want the money back that we invested in the original models and the cast then it can be invested back in to Darwen.”

Mr Heys said: “I spoke to local Labour and Liberal politicians before we embarked on the project and they were very enthusiastic.

“I didn’t bother the Tories as they only had one member of the town council when the idea of the models was first getting off the ground."

Cllr Brian Taylor said: "Really they should have checked with us before they sold the ones we made.

“But knowing the people involved, I’m sure they did not do it deliberately or maliciously."

“We intended to sell them so people could have a momento of Darwen which is what they’ve done so their heart was in the right place.