POPPIES will not be on sale in Abingdon until today - just a week before Remembrance Sunday.

An unfortunate series of events has meant the traditional red flower, worn in memory of the war dead, is not available in the town, which has a strong association with the military.

Last year's Royal British Legion Poppy fund organiser Sue Dance resigned in the summer.

Neighbouring Berkshire organiser Bridie Spinks, from Steventon, was due to run this year's appeal, but fell ill.

Now Abingdon branch secretary Bob Griffiths, from Culham, has stepped in at the 11th hour. However, it is too late to order fresh supplies and volunteers will have to sell what is left of last year's stock.

Former Royal Navy serviceman Mr Griffiths, 72, said: "It's a very unfortunate series of events.

"Now I'm trying to stitch things together, but it's not easy.

"We are getting poppy supplies in from county headquarters and this weekend we will be going round distributing them to pubs and shops.

"It's too late now to order new supplies.

"We will have to rely on unsold poppies from previous years, but they can't be used until we get authority certificates for collectors.

"We're doing our best, but I don't expect we will raise as much money this year."

The situation is so bad that soldiers from nearby Dalton Barracks are being asked to help with street collections.

Poppy sellers in Abingdon last year raised £17,811 - £200 more than in 2005.

Mrs Dance said: "I organised the appeal last year, but could not do it again because of the amount of work involved."

Mrs Spinks said: "It is all very unfortunate. I was involved in trying to organise this year's Poppy event for Abingdon, but was taken ill and have only recently returned home from hospital."

John Regan, the Royal British Legion's field officer for Berkshire, said: "We are making desperate efforts to get the poppies out in Abingdon.

"In the past, Abingdon has been one of our success stories and it's unfortunate that we have had a problem with the organisation."

Last year, in Berkshire and the Vale of White Horse, poppy collectors raised £600,000.

This year, the Royal British Legion distributed more than £1.3m in welfare aid to servicemen and their families, including those involved in Afghanistan and Iraq.

More than 400 soldiers at Dalton Barracks have recently returned from Afghanistan.

Col Hugh McCormack said: "We are very sorry to hear of the problems there are in Abingdon and we will see what we can do to help."