A POPULAR busking duo - who’ve raised thousands for a seriously ill youngster and his family - can’t fathom why they were ordered to move a few metres away from their town centre spot.

Wednesday was a typical morning for Barnsdale Hood, a traditional Irish folk duo who have been a regular sight in the town centre for more than a year.

Banjo player Alan Jones and guitarist Dave Alton have taken on the task of fundraising for Louie George Wood, a young boy from Mapplewell whose family have raised more than £120,000 to support his conditions including quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy.

They say shoppers are generally complementary and happy to support their cause, but on Wednesday - after a few minutes of playing - at least one person didn’t share that enthusiasm.

Alan told the Chronicle the pair faced an apologetic Doyle Security guard who explained his manager had asked him to move them away from the empty unit they were stood outside.

They were apparently fine to continue playing two or three metres down the street.

“We were a bit shocked,” said Alan, 72, of Wakefield Road, who formed the group five years ago.

“The chap looked embarrassed and said his boss had told him to move us on.

“We were not causing any obstruction or annoying anyone and are competent musicians.

“We would have appreciated it if this manager had come and spoke to us him or herself so we could have explained to him or her in person, instead of hiding behind his or her staff.

“We didn’t want a stand-up argument so we packed up and moved further away so we could get on with our busking.”

The guard then helped Alan and Dave distribute flyers, which they asked him to show to his boss.

Doyle managing director Andrew Nicholson told the Chronicle the firm was ‘unaware of any issue or animosity’.