A prestigious Green Flag awarded to a pristine town park has been banned by council planners for making the area look unsightly.
Park keepers were overjoyed when Memorial Park in Romsey, Hampshire, was voted one of the best green spaces in the country.
Test Valley Borough Council were hoping to highlight their achievement but their application for a flagpole was turned down because it would "spoil the park's ambience."
Councillor Mark Cooper said: "Romsey War Memorial Park is an attractive and popular asset for the town and Test Valley does a good job in looking after it for us."
But, he branded the installation of the proposed flag and its 20-foot high pole as only "appropriate for a building site", and said: "If Test Valley wish to tell us all about the Green Flag award, they can put a plaque at the entrance."
The Green Flag award, run by the Civic Trust, recognises Britain's best green spaces and is equivalent to the popular Blue Flag awarded to British beaches.
Test Valley Council's decision has angered supporters, who were proud to have the park recognised for a national award.
Borough cabinet leisure spokeswoman, Caroline Nokes, said: "I think it is a great shame nobody else shared my enthusiasm to celebrate the prestigious award."
Dorothy Baverstock, secretary of Friends of Romsey War Memorial Park, added: "The park is a jewel in Romsey's crown and to get the Green Flag award was amazing. It would have been nice to display the flag."
She added: "It could have been flown on auspicious occasions and the flagpole could have been used on Remembrance Sunday to fly the Union Flag."
A spokesman for the Civic Trust said that the majority of councils recognise that the Green Flag should be flown "with pride".
A council spokesman said Test Valley was now looking at how else to recognise the award.
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