A CONTROVERSIAL plan to sell a Lowry painting to balance the books could lead to Bury becoming only the second council in 25 years to be stripped of accredited museum status.

The warning has come in a letter from the president of the Museums Association which has threatened to take the disciplinary action against Bury Art Gallery and Museum should the council go ahead with the sale of LS Lowry's A River Bank. The 1947 painting, bought by Bury Council in 1951 for just £175, could fetch as much as £500,000 on the open market.

In March, local authority bosses said they were committed to selling the painting to help address a £10 million council budget shortfall.

This drew an initial angry response from the association which has now underlined in detail the action it could take.

In a strongly-worded letter to Bury Council chief executive Mark Sanders and authority political leaders, Charles Saumarez Smith says the association expresses "grave concern" at the sell-off proposals.

He added: "It is essential for the maintenance of public trust in museums that items from museum collections are not viewed as financial assets.

"This proposed sale not only threatens the reputation of Bury Art Gallery and Museum but will also damage the public's trust in the whole museum sector. The sale would run contrary to all the standards and guidelines that govern museum practice in the UK.

"We recognise that local government is currently subject to unprecedented financial pressures and understand that Bury Council has to make difficult decisions in response to these pressures. But this is the wrong decision: it will rob the people of Bury of an important asset for good."

And he warns: "It is likely there will be serious consequences both for the council and Bury Art Gallery and Museum should the sale of the painting go ahead." Mr Saumarez Smith says it is more than likely the gallery and museum would lose its accredited status and face expulsion from the association.

This would seriously jeopardise the ability to gain external funding from the likes of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

He continued: "There has only been one such case in the last 25 years and the damage to the reputation of both the council and museum service took a significant number of years to repair."

The association fears the Lowry price tag could be beyond another public gallery's budget and the painting could fall into private hands.

Civic leaders earlier defended the sell-off, saying that Lowry was better known for his work in Salford and present-day Tameside.

They also say that the painting is not an integral part of the art gallery's collection, which is renowned for its Victorian works by the likes of Constable, Turner and Landseer.

Yesterday a spokeswoman for Bury Council said: "The council is now moving to sell the painting through a reputable auctioneer, carrying out the decision made by the full council in March."

No date has been given as yet for auction.