WITH plans afoot to remove Winchester's hero King Alfred from the city's tourism logo, the outcry from local residents is continuing to rumble on.

John Holder, owner of the Wolvesey View Bed & Breakfast in Colebrook Place, is up in arms over plans to overthrow the great man from his position as the tourist board's official emblem.

The businessman believes that such a move could have dire implications for the local tourism industry and says city bosses must not throw away Winchester's main selling points - its history and heritage.

"I think there is a risk of Winchester losing its key advantage when it competes with other cities like Salisbury, Bath and Oxford," he said.

"I am not saying Winchester does not have other wonderful qualities, but the city's history is our greatest asset and if we don't stress the history we will lose out on people who have not quite decided where to go.

"King Alfred is the hero of the people of Winchester and he is a much loved figurehead. He was named "Great" and that's the way we feel about our city."

Mr Holder, who has lived in Winchester for the past 30 years and written a local tourist guide, added: "I am not saying it's entirely wrong to make a change but they have to be absolutely sure that they make the best of what they've got."

The rebranding exercise follows a lengthy consultation period by Winchester Tourist Board in which they questioned visitors, residents and civic leaders to find out the best way forward for tourism in the area.

Tourism chief Eloise Appleby said: "The feedback we have had shows people love Winchester's heritage backdrop, but that they also think there's loads of new ideas to be seen and we want the logo for the Winchester Tourist Board to reflect that.

"In changing the logo we are not dropping Alfred, but we want to show that there are other symbols, such as the Luminous Motion monument in the cathedral grounds."

If you back the campaign to save Alfred call Sarah Jones at the Daily Echo office in Winchester on 01962 854355 or e-mail sarah.jones@soton-echo.co.uk.