Locals prevent removal of Baden-Powell statue from Poole Quay

Supporters deny vicious rumours' about Scouting founder being pro-Hitler

A council's plans to remove a statue of the founder of the Scout movement amid fears that it would be targeted by anti-racist activists were thwarted when it was surrounded by dozens of locals refusing to allow it to be taken away.

Former scouts were among those who formed a ring around the statue of Robert Baden-Powell, a divisive figure who has been accused of support for Adolf Hitler, on the quayside in Poole. They vowed that they would not let either council workers or activists get to the statue.