TELEVISION presenter David Dickinson has been banned from a leading antiques fair - after being accused of turning it into a circus.

He and his Bargain Hunt production crew have been asked not to return to the Great Northern International Antiques and Collectors Fair, at Harrogate.

The ban came after the BBC team filmed a group of drag queen contestants at the last event - a move which did not go down well with stallholders.

Some felt the choice of contestants was "demeaning" and even said they would not take part in any future fairs.

Organiser George Taylor has now told the BBC team to remove future Harrogate fairs from their filming schedule.

In a letter to producer Linda Cleeve he said the BBC's presence caused considerable disruption.

"I have to agree with my stallholders that this turned a serious antiques and collectors fair into a circus," he told her.

"I feel it reflected badly both on ourselves, as organisers, and stallholders who participated. We feel the emphasis had moved away from antiques and into the realms of cheap entertainment."

The next antiques fair at Harrogate is on March 21 to 23 and, although the BBC did not intend to cover it, it was planning to return later in the year.

A spokesman for the show said they were surprised and disappointed at the decision.