THE committee of the local Legion have been suspended pending an investigation, the Herald can reveal.

Legion bosses confirmed ‘a number of suspensions’ from the Saltcoats, Ardrossan and Stevenston Branch and information obtained by the Herald points to former service personnel being denied entry to the Legion with claims that prospective members were left waiting in a corridor for up to an hour as committee members voted on their entry.

After a meeting of the local legion branch, which was held in Saltcoats Labour Club, details were passed on to the Head Office of the Royal British Legion Scotland and the committee was suspended.

Those in attendance on the night were allegedly asked to wait outside the meeting hall and sources say that there were both elderly and disabled ex-servicemen and women there on the night.

There is a meeting of the legion branch set for next Friday, October 19 and this will be taking place at the Salvation Army Hall in Saltcoats.

It is unclear at this stage how long the investigation will take and whether any further action will be taken.

The Herald spoke to various members of the SAS branch of the Legion but they were unable to comment at the time of going to press.

A spokesperson for the Royal British Legion Scotland said: “We can confirm that there have been a number of suspensions at the Saltcoats, Ardrossan and Stevenston branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland. An investigation is underway and to ensure this is not prejudiced is any way, Legion Scotland cannot comment further at this time.”