The outburst from the Bures Music Festival came after Sudbury Town Council told them they could not place a banner on the railings of St Peter's church.

The ruling had struck a harsh note with the group running the five-day music festival, which includes major jazz and blues concerts.

A spokesman said: "It all seems a bit small-town and small-minded jobsworth to us."

But Sudbury's town clerk Sue Brotherwood said the council had only been acting on the wishes of its electors.

She said: "To call us jobsworths is most uncalled for.

"We are acting on a council policy that was set, after receiving many complaints from electors about the growing numbers of banners appearing around the church.

"We spoke to the Friends of St Peter's at the time, and we decided to only allow use the railings for advertising events in the town.

"We have nothing against any other organisation but we had to draw the line somewhere."

Mrs Brotherwood said she was surprised the festival organisers had complained now about a policy that the council had set several years ago.

"We also offered them space in the council's noticeboards, at the Kingfisher car park, in Waldingfield Road and at the Chaucer estate.

"We were not unsympathetic to their cause." she added.

The festival spokesman said the event had raised £100,000 for local charities over the 13 years it had been running.

"Several Sudbury organisations have benefited, including the Bridge Project and a project at Walnuttree Hospital," he added.

The last time the Bures banner was placed at St Peter's, several years ago, a donation from the event went to the Friends of St Peter's towards renovating the floor of the church.

Last year another banner was placed on the railings and was removed soon after and taken to a storeroom at the town hall, he added.

"We were told we should apply in writing and so we did – and back came a refusal, pointing out that only local events were allowed." He said other organisations outside Bures had also received grants from the event, included West Suffolk Hospital Radio, which also benefited patients from Sudbury.

"We thought a strict time limit might be imposed on how long our banner could be placed on the railings.

"They allow banners for the French markets that visit the town and they are a commercial organisation."

Formerly Jazz by the Stour, the charity music festival starts next week with all profits distributed to local organisations.

As well as jazz and a choral evening, swing and blues nights are also planned, with the majority of money raised going to St Helena's Hospice in Colchester and Ferriers Barn at Bures, a rehabilitation centre for young disabled people.