A campaign is being mounted to save Sandwell’s popular St George’s Day parade from the axe.

Dozens of supporters are preparing to target West Bromwich Albion fans during the team’s home match against Burnley tomorrow to gather names and start a petition calling for it to be saved.

The controversial St George’s Day celebration, which takes place through Stone Cross, annually attracts around 15,000 revellers. But it has been left facing the axe after Sandwell Council withdrew its funding.

There were fears that the parade was being “hijacked” by extremists.

At a meeting of Sandwell Cabinet earlier this month council leader Bill Thomas vowed that the decision would be “revisited”.

And supporters have now vowed to launch a campaign to make sure it is saved. Dozens are preparing to travel to the Hawthorns to drum up support.

Trevor Collins, of the Stone Cross St George’s Day Association which organises the event, said: “Whoever I speak to, everyone is disgusted that it might not go ahead.

“There will be a lot of us down there at the Hawthorns on Saturday and hopefully we will get a lot of signatures.”

Sandwell Council ended its support for the march at a meeting on December 17. It had been reviewed after reported problems with anti-social behaviour and drunkenness.

The parade through Stone Cross in West Bromwich is one of the country’s biggest but became mired in controversy after videos showed the British Ulster Alliance Flute Band marching.

In a letter sent to all Sandwell councillors and MPs the association wrote: “It is acknowledged that as the parade has grown so have the peripheral issues of anti-social behaviour, but we along with the council have worked with West Midlands Police to address these problems as they have arisen.”

The council’s leisure chief Councillor Linda Horton said the council was “100 per cent” behind St George’s Day celebrations in Sandwell but that chiefs must look at how to ensure celebrations were safe and family-friendly.