Darlington Football Club chairman George Reynolds has warned that the Quakers could fold if he is not allowed to make money from events such as car boot sales.

Mr Reynolds saved Darlington FC, saying he invested £5.2m. He built a stadium which is one of the finest in the country outside of the Premiership. He deserves to be congratulated for so doing.

Now he finds himself trapped by the planning regulations he agreed to. Amidst the euphoria of saving the club, he signed a legally-binding agreement that the Reynolds Arena could not stage events other than football matches.

He now says he signed it under duress - with a pistol to his head - because it was the only way to give the club and its fans a new stadium.

The truth is Mr Reynolds did not have to sign anything. He could have walked away and retired to his place in the sun.

Darlington Borough Council had no choice but to challenge his plans to hold an unlicensed car boot sale. Planning and licensing laws exist for good reason and the council's go-ahead for the stadium on an environmentally sensitive site was subject to strict conditions.

Council leader John Williams made a public pledge that those conditions would not be breached and The Northern Echo gave the stadium its support on that basis.

Just a few weeks after the stadium's opening, it is inconceivable that the goal-posts could be moved now. It would represent a breach of trust by the council.

Business people may share Mr Reynolds' frustration that he is being prevented from maximising the commercial potential of the stadium by red tape. There will be those who cannot see the harm in staging a car boot sale.

But had Mr Reynolds been allowed to proceed with Sunday's event, followed by concerts, discos, casinos or whatever else he may have in mind, the council would have found it impossible to explain how he had ridden roughshod over regulations which apply to every other commercial organisation.

Worryingly, Mr Reynolds has demonstrated that he does not like playing by the rules. He has gone to the homes of a number of people he views as his critics. Despite police involvement, he has made a public declaration that he will continue to turn up on the doorsteps of his detractors.

It cannot go on. We support Darlington Football Club but its chairman is not above the law. Mr Reynolds must be seen to be playing by the rules.