ARMY veteran Brian Rollinson has labelled art work which shows silhouettes of fallen soldiers created to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War completely inappropriate and disgusting.

Mr Rollinson, 55, who served in Northern Ireland during the troubles in the 1980s and suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome called for the artwork to be removed.

But Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts, Devizes Town Council and the Royal British Legion have defended the decision to cover The Brittox in Devizes with the outlines of soldiers in white and with each decorated with a poppy.

In a joint statement they said: "Raising the profile of remembrance and bringing to mind the loss and destruction caused by conflict ensures that future generations can learn important lessons from the past, but in doing so, an unintended consequence may be to bring back pain and suffering to some of our service personnel who have experienced modern warfare first hand.

"We are truly sorry if this happens, and would like to point out that help is available, in the first instance via SSAFA."

Loz Samuels, artistic director of DOCA, who created the silhouettes with the help of youngsters from Devizes Youthy said: "Most people I have spoken to think the art work is amazing. But something like this is always going to cause something of a debate.

"The purpose of this is to draw attention to the soldiers from Devizes who lost their lives in the First World War and to commemorate them. Similar projects are happening all over the world.

"It is not possible for us to remove them. They are done in chalk paint and will gradually fade."

Wayne Cherry, who is secretary of the Devizes branch of the Royal British Legion, is carrying out 100 hours of Remembrance in The Brittox and is there every morning. He said the vast majority of people who had spoken to him were in support of the silhouettes.

Mr Rollinson, who served with the Royal Green Jackets and moved to Devizes in 2013, and has raised money for the charity Combat Stress and Help For Heroes, said: "When I saw them it brought back memories of witnessing the deaths of my friends in Northern Ireland.

"I can't believe anyone could think this is a good idea and many people I have spoken to agree with me. I will not be able to walk down The Brittox until they are removed. I think that should be done immediately. It is disgusting and just inappropriate that people are walking over these bodies."

On Saturday at 10.30am Mr Cherry will be joined by 189 volunteers to stand in The Brittox to remember the men whose names are on the War Memorial. More volunteers are still needed.