A male-only bastion has voted to keep its doors barred to girls.

Little Oakley Scouts, Cubs and Beavers held a vote on whether to allow a female side to their organisation but after a hard fought campaign the votes are in - and girls are to be kept out.

Rocked by the result, the leader of the Beavers has resigned from the organisation after claiming the girls were needed to keep the group going.

The result comes just weeks after several Government ministers said they wanted to close down male-only institutions throughout the country.

Voting in the Oakley gender battle had been organised by the chairman of Oakley Scouts, Keith Bladon, who said: "I think the results show what the boys wanted.

"Of the Scouts there were three votes for girls and four against. In the Cubs there was one vote for and six against and of the Beavers there were three votes in favour, two against and two abstentions."

He explained the voting structure was designed to allow people to move though the Scouting organisation.

"If the Beavers allowed girls the Cubs and Scouts would have to allow them as well," he said. "The votes cast show we could not have allowed girls to enter."

He added: "More than 75 per cent of Scout groups allow girls to join them but not one Brownie or Guide group lets boys in".

The vote had originally been organised after Cub co-ordinator Crispin Farbrother thought the girls might support the small group. Beaver co-ordinator Lynn Bacon resigned following the result.

She was unavailable for comment yesterday but in the past she has said the Beavers of Little Oakley would fold if girls were not allowed to join.

Mr Bladon said: "That is her personal choice. Some of the boys have been standing up and saying if we allow girls in we might as well join the youth club."

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