Furious Dartmouth pensioners have declared 'we're no prejudiced fuddy duddies' in the row over students' abstract artwork which has been taken down from the walls of the town's community cafe.

Members of the over- 60s club, who use the community cafe twice a week, are claiming they were never asked about whether the paintings should go.

One member liked them so much that he even wanted to buy the two works of art which were taken down and handed back to the town council, revealed 69-year-old Marianne Langley who has been a regular at the club for years.

She said: 'What has upset most of us is that the children and the school all think we are a load of fuddy duddies.

'We love the kids and we loved the paintings.

'Just because we are over 60, does not mean that we do not appreciate art.'

The ultra-modern, colourful works of art went up at the community cafe as a platform for Dartmouth Academy students' artwork, with the permission of the building's owner, the town council.

They went up at the same time academy students' work also went on display in the Guildhall's Clifton Room.

Only two of the students' paintings were put up at the cafe and they were both taken down by members of the Dartmouth Caring charity because they did not 'fit in'.

The move infuriated the town's deputy mayor, Cllr Dave Cawley, who has demanded that the paintings go back up claiming that the town council should decide what goes on the walls of its cafe building.

Now members of the 0ver-60s club have joined in the row, saying they also want the paintings to go back up.

Over-60s regular Bet Beasley, who is 89, said: 'I liked the paintings.'

Another club regular, who did not want to be named, said: 'We thoroughly enjoyed the paintings and we don't like the implications that we are prejudiced in some way.'

Mrs Langley added: 'The implication is that anyone over 60 cannot appreciate modern art and that is just not true.

'It makes us look like we are a lot of old dears and we don't like that.'