A delegation of German visitors was left shocked after being greeted by the sight of revellers dressed in Nazi SS officer uniforms at a wartime festival.

Members of the 30-strong party from Bradford’s twin town, Hamm, reacted in horror after people donned swastikas and other Nazi regalia during Haworth’s latest 1940s-style celebration.

Two visitors to the annual event were seen wearing the symbol of the SS – the Third Reich paramilitary organisation responsible for many of the atrocities against humanity in the Second World War.

Haworth parish councillor Barry Thorne, who was acting as a tour guide for the German visitors, yesterday called for the “downright disgraceful” uniforms to be banned at future events. He said: “When they first came along the bottom of the street it was like the parting of the seas and people were looking and thinking ‘what are they doing?’ You have got to think that at the very least, they are idiots. One visitor said to me that, if that had happened in Germany, they would have been arrested straight away.

“I think the German people were all just shocked that it was even allowed. They came because they love Bradford and that is something that they wanted to see.”

He said he and parish council chairman Councillor John Huxley confronted the men dressed as SS officers and were told it was “only a bit of fun”.

But Coun Thorne said those wearing the uniforms could be considered to have broken race laws.

He said: “They were wearing black uniforms and I asked them to leave, the chairman of the parish council, John Huxley, asked them to leave, and I understand the police were not happy either.

“It is not a bit of fun. It is downright disgraceful and should not be allowed.

“I think they were in breach of the law by incitement. If anybody had been there who had lost family in the Holocaust, they may have been so angry as to take action. It is against the spirit of what the 40s weekend is about and I think it is certainly anti-semitic.

“It is something that we need to deal with next year. We don’t need anything like that.”

Nikki Carroll, one of the 20-strong organising committee for the 1940s festival, said it was “totally against” the wearing of Nazi uniforms.

She said: “We very much want to respect the people that we lost in the war and would totally discourage anybody wearing the Nazi uniform and swastikas. We did ask people who were wearing swastikas if they could possible remove them and ask people to be more respectful but it is difficult because it is up to them what they do or not.

“As a committee, we need to look a bit more into what we can do about it next year.”

e-mail: marc.meneaud@telegraphandargus.co.uk