PEACE talks are being called for to try and end months of bickering between two warring factions.

Affinitygate began in October last year when residents reported massive levels of flytipping around the derelict tower blocks in St Mary Cray.

The Cray Valley East safer neighbourhood panel asked Affinity Sutton (AS), the housing association which owns the buildings, four questions.

It asked about flytipping, the condition of the towers, overdevelopment and delays in regeneration.

But the panel chairman Harold Barker says rather than respond, AS staff refuse to attend panel meetings because it claims he used bad language during a phone call to one of its staff and to another one at a meeting.

He denies both allegations.

In terms of the phone call he states: “My phone bill indicates the conversation lasted 18 minutes.

“If Sue Cooper was subjected to torrents of foul language, surely she’d have terminated the conversation much earlier?

“Also, the email she sent me after the conversation was amicably worded and makes no mention of any bad language.”

Bromley Council currently has to mediate between the two organisations.

The panel chairman added: “Let's draw the line.

“We did not want any wars and we did not ask for it.

“We are a bunch of old boys and all we asked was four questions.”

An Affinity Sutton spokesperson said: "We want to work in partnership with our local communities and our withdrawal from the Cray Valley East safer neighbourhood panel was purely as a result of the unacceptable way our staff were treated.

“However this has not stopped us engaging effectively with the community and other agencies locally.

"Following the election we will now meet with the new councillors to seek their views on the role of the safer neighbourhood panel.

“If considered appropriate we would be willing to rejoin the panel but on the strict understanding that meetings are conducted in a professional way."