slogan following its use by United Bermuda Party supporters during the Bermuda Day parade.

KBB president Mr. Barry Brewer said T-shirts worn by party supporters saying "Don't Mess Around. Join the UBP'' had undermined the organisation's apolitical reputation.

"We are very worried about the political use of this slogan by third parties,'' Mr. Brewer said. "We do not have a political agenda. The KBB is unpolitical.

"We're a watchdog group and value our independence very much. We attract members of all political persuasions for a broad national goal. We represent the entire population. This kind of thing is very damaging for us.'' On Friday, Opposition MP Mr. Nelson Bascome said in the House of Assembly that he was "very upset and emotionally torn'' to see the T-shirt wearers on the Keep Bermuda Beautiful float.

Yesterday, Mr. Bascome acknowledged he was mistaken in identifying the United Bermuda Party float as a KBB float but said the T-shirts on the UBP members nevertheless "confirmed all my fears.'' He said people look at KBB and think it's "in line'' with Government. UBP executive Mr. Joe Gibbons said 200 "Don't Mess Around'' T-shirts were donated to the party for National Clean-up Day in late March. They used the KBB slogan, he said, because it was thought to be appropriate for the KBB organised clean-up effort.

Mr. Brewer said he had called UBP headquarters after hearing about the use of the slogan on the T-shirts and was told it had been an error.

"I asked Mr. Gibbons to withdraw the shirts because we have no affiliation with any political party or group whatsoever,'' he said. "Mr. Gibbons said he couldn't get them back because they'd already been distributed.'' The executive of the KBB is to meet on the issue this week.

Mr. Brewer said copyrighting the "Don't Mess Around'' slogan would prevent "anything like this happening again.''