ANGRY veterans criticised students for disrupting their medal reception.

Dignatries, including a brigadier general and defence advisor for the Malaysian High Commission, were locked out at the Town Hall.

They were due to present the Services to Malaysia Awards to soldiers, who helped secure Malayan indepdendence between 1957 and 1966, About 200 war heroes were shut in, as a student protest went past.

Many of the veterans had waited 50 years for the award and battled through the snow to get to Colchester, then had to wait for the student protest to clear.

The awards were due to be presented in two waves, but the second wave of medal recipients had to be turned away because the room was still full because of delays.

Fred Burden, who organised the medal ceremony, told the veterans: “It has been a dreadful morning.

“I am so embarassed and feel I have let you down. It is the first time from all over the country this has happened because of these ragamuffins.”

Joan Gous, of Cyrus Road, Colchester, attended on behalf of her deceased husband Bernard and was disappointed with the protest.

She said: “All these elderly men sitting in here fought for their country . But now these 16 and 17-year-olds do this. They want so much and it gets my back up.

“I am upset because the majority of them protesting should be at school or sixth form.

“It is very frustrating. They would not know half of what these men have been through.”

Bill Vernon, 66, of Bellfield, Vange, served in the Navy for 16 years and spent time in the Malayan conflict sweeping mines.

He said: “These people here have done everything to keep democracy alive, to give freedom.

“People should be allowed to protest, but what about these people’s freedom?”

Veteran Trevor Peart added: “We fought for their freedom and gave them the chance to have freedom of speech, but sometimes they take it too far.”

* Delays on roads and rail caused by snow meant about 30 veterans from across Essex missed the chance to collect their service medals.