An arts group have been banned from meeting at a Bradford community centre after its teacher drew a "doodle" of Adolf Hitler on the corner of a portrait.

Artist Malcolm Stead claims he has been branded a fascist after bosses at the Bradford Resource Centre in Little Germany stopped him from holding sessions there.

The decision is the result of a controversial cartoon of the Nazi dictator, which was drawn by the 64-year-old two-and-half years ago while the group were meeting at the South Square Arts and Crafts Centre in Thornton.

Last month they moved to a new base at the Bradford Resource Centre in Chapel Street and changed their name to the Little Germany Arts Group.

However they have now been booted out of their new home after the centre's management committee found out about the Nazi doodle. Mr Stead, of Clayton, said: "It was two and a half years ago. We were drawing a portrait of a model and at the end I drew a little doodle in the corner. I do little cartoons and I used to collect models of soldiers from the Second World War and I just drew a doodle of Hitler with a swastika on his chest. I gave the picture to the model and she has complained.

"I spoke to the head of the committee at South Square and apologised at the time and it all blew over.

"Now the committee at South Square has written to the committee at the resource centre about this swastika and on the back of that we have been banned from the resource centre."

Mr Stead, who has been running arts classes since 1999, said he was horrified by the decision.

He said: "I apologised at the time and I have never done it again. I have been branded as fascist."

Bradford Resource Centre worker Mike Quiggin said the group had been banned because it was against the centre's policy to have anyone who advocated fascist or Nazi ideology using its facilities.

He said: "It is entirely possible that if Malcolm presents his case to the management committee, after they have heard what he has had to say they might think we have over-reacted."

The centre has arranged for the arts group to meet at Bradford Central Library for the next month.